Ultimate MCU
by glad-of-war
Summary: A reimagining with an original spin of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Fantastic Four explore the Multiverse and fight ancient menaces. The Avengers assemble in an unlikely alliance to become the Earth's only hope. Spider-Girl and The Ultimates defend New York from the Goblin Cult and The Sinister Six. Two generations of X-men try to prevent the Age of Apocalypse.
1. The First Family 01

_Somewhere in the outskirts of California..._

It all started with a dream and an idea for Reed Richards.

He had this dream for a long time, catching glimpses of it while allowing himself some briefs moments of sleep, his head resting on the table in his makeshift lab in his dad's garage.

He dreamed of making the world a better place.

To make a world without boundaries and give mankind a place among the stars.

When everyone else looked up in the sky, ordinary people only saw something distant and unreachable. One absurdly important goal that would just get infinitesimally closer generation after generation.

When Reed looked at the sky, he saw entire worlds full of possibility and wonder and unspeakable and magnificent things. Things that one day he would see with his own eyes and touch with his own hands.

"Reed? Can you come here for a second?" The blonde girl asked as she leaned over to look at the telescope.

"Yes, I just need one moment to organize my better not—" Right as he said that, a cascade of white papers fell right from his arms on the grass. Reed sighed as he tried to pick up the sheets full of coordinates and calculations. As he tried to gather the papers as fast as he could, he saw in the corner of his eye the blonde girl bending over to help him with his task.

As they reached for the same paper he felt Sue's warm hands briefly touching his, and he gulped, freezing on the spot as he looked up to meet her blue eyes.

"Ehr...Yes...What were we talking about?" He quickly collected himself, reasoning that the opening of his blood vessels and the significant flooding of his face with a red hue was merely a neurological response.

"Oh, that." Sue picked up the last paper and went back to the telescope. "I think I found something new."

Reed quickly checked his calculations once more, and Sue gently stepped on the side to let him see her discovery. Reed hesitated as he took a moment to look at her adjusting one wild lock of her hair back under her headband. Was it a new one? If so, it really made her blue eyes stand out and...Reed cleared his voice and adjusted his glasses, mentally reciting the calculations as his eye focused on the silver object soaring through the night's sky.

"Oh…"

"Is that the good kind 'Oh' or the bad kind of 'Oh'?"

"It's a...Uh...Good one. I think we...I mean, you found a new celestial body!"

"Really? Oh my gosh, you're not joking?"

"I'm never joking about science, Sue. According to my calculations, you just discovered a new comet."

"Did I? Oh my gosh, it's amazing!" Sue quickly sprung up and hugged the boy tightly, shaking him back and forth as the girl squealed with glee. She then realized how close they were getting and Reed noticed that the blood vessels in her face were also getting pretty open. Reed tried to mutter something as Sue discreetly pushed herself off of him. "So, I guess we should find a name for it."

"Well, you were the one to find it, so it's up to you."

"I'll think about it for a moment. Guess it will make a good college recommendation. Sue Storm: Comet Finder!" Sue struck a heroic pose, her finger pointing at the sky while flexing the other arm.

"Once we finish college, we could do so much more than this. One day, I want to go up there, Sue." A wide smile lit up his face, something that Sue didn't find adorable at all, no siree. "There are just so many mysteries up there. Did you know that mankind has only a 4% total comprehension of every scientific field?"

"Four is not a bad number. Isn't that the number of years you're skipping?"

"Two, actually."

Sue chuckled. "Yeah, you're going to miss out. The last year where everyone is counting the days to graduation, career counselors grasping at straws to make you pick a job you'll hate, the homecoming party where you can't find a date…" Sue couldn't be less subtle if she tried but the boy next to her was stuffier than his starched shirt.

"To be honest, I'm relieved. I always thought that high school was...Limiting. I always felt everything was going too slow for my tastes. I-I mean, not that you're slow, you're quite brilliant!" Reed stammered and panicked when he noticed his friend's off-putting (but quite charming pout) and cleared his voice again while adjusting his tie " It's just that I can't wait to work on real things."

"Has this something to do with that teleporter prototype? You know, the one that burned Ben's eyebrows?"

"It was just one eyebrow. And something like that, yes. Once I have enough funds we could really make something out of it."

Sue sighed. "I envy you, Reed, you know that?."

The boy raised an eyebrow. "Why is that?"

"You have so many wonderful dreams, and you got everything planned out for the future. I don't know what do do. I feel like I have a lot of responsibilities trust me. My brother can't take care of himself and my father, well, he's not going to be around for a while…" Sue tried to laugh it off but deep down Reed knew how she really felt. Losing someone dear was never easy...He couldn't help but admire her for her strength.

A strength that deserved a better life. A strength that one day could've brought them to the stars and beyond.

He gulped and said the words he knew would change their life. "I'll take you there."

"What?"

"I want you to feel free. I'll show you the Universe, Sue..." He held both her hands and a smile lit up her face. "I want to show you there's much more than this hill, much more than your house. Once you see the wonders that wait for us out there, you'll be free to choose whatever future you want. We'll just have to wait and finish college."

"Well, as long as I'm there. Because God knows, Reed, you wouldn't know how to tie your shoes."

Reed let a hearty, sincere laugh. "That's why they invented straps, Sue."

"I think I have found a name for that comet."

"Really? What is it?"

 _"The Silver Surfer."_

Sue wondered if one day they would see it again among those wonders Reed promised to her.

 _New York, Ten Years Later…_

Ben Grimm was a simple man.

He saw something that had to be punched; he punched it.

He saw a craft without a pilot; he would pilot the crap out of that.

He saw a friend in need; he would help them.

That's the kind of man Ben Grimm was.

But when he heard his friend making that offer, something crawled up his spine. He didn't feel something like that ever since last time he hopped on a plane. When you go up there enough times, you gain something of a sixth sense. Something that rears its ugly head well before a radar is beeping and telling you that someone wants to sneak up —on you and smoke you. As he threw that last punch, it was with such force that the chain holding the bag was creaking and protesting. Some would've sworn it was going to fly all the way out of the gym. That was the kind of punch a guy would throw if he felt someone or something sneaking up on him.

"Whoah, that was one heck of a punch, Benjy!" Sue chuckled as she patted on his bicep.

"So, what do you think?" Reed took his hat and placed it on his chest, wearing a sheepish smile. Ben's friend was always sharply dressed, making a huge contrast with the rest of that small, almost spartan gym of Yancy Street, and always looked like the smartest guy in the room.

Granted, he was, but that was another matter entirely.

"I 'unno, Reed. Since we wuz roommates where haven't I followed ya? But ya see this?" Ben placed a hand on his belly.

Reed tilted his head. "Your abdominal muscles?"

"It's my gut. And my gut sez...Something is off. Mebbe we're not ready."

Reed looked dejected, almost mortified. "Ben, I–"

"It's like this, Ben…" Sue took a step forward, a strong determination burning in her gentle eyes. "Do you or do you not want to make history? Because what we have right here can. And we need the best of the best to pull it off. Are you with us?"

He'll be damned. Susie really believed in this. She hadn't said a word all the time Reed has been explaining the details of the supposed expedition. Reed was like a brother to him, and so was Sue. Well, not a brother, but as close as family. He owed something to them. Also, if he weren't there to watch his back, the bullies at school would've shoved that giant brain of his in the toilet every day.

Ben paused for a second before bursting into hearty laughter to break the tension of the moment. "Okay, wow! How can I say no after that? Yer lucky your girlfriend can be so persuasive, egghead." Ben extended his hand for Reed to grasp it and he shook it with a grip that could make a man wince in pain. Reed steeled himself because, really, he couldn't ruin the moment. He waited for Ben to turn and grab a towel to nurse his knuckles. "How many are on board with this?"

"Uh...The three of us."

"Really? I thought we needed a fourth." Ben started wiping the sweat from his brown hair. "Didncha say that the government was backing us up? Yer still in touch with that, wuzzat, creepy European guy?"

"Victor, you mean? Sure, he's a brilliant mind, but he's had an accident."

"Ya mean an accident or an _accident_? Ya see, there's a big difference and when ye grow up in Yancy Street ya kin see both kinds."

"I wasn't there to help him nor did he want my help. An accident has left him disfigured, and was expelled for tampering with college property." Reed looked on the floor, his hands trembling as he held the hat. "That man deserved better." If he didn't know Reed any better, he looked like he was going to cry.

"Jeez, now I feel sorry for him. Still, I got your back, Reed. I think we should follow my gut, but my gut was always right when following ya, so it evens out." He patted his friend's back. This simple, friendly act nearly threw him off his balance and knocked his glasses out of his nose, but that at least brought him back to high spirits.

"Thanks, Ben. I promise that it's going to be fantastic."

"That's the cheesiest thing I ever heard. I see that those four PhDs of yours amounted to somethin'."

"Five, actually."

"And ya still can't take a joke."

Sue gave a small nod in response to that.

 _Nevada_

Johnny Storm really didn't want to be there.

His sister had promised fun, but his sister wouldn't know fun if it bit her on the neck. She said that they were going to space and yet all he could see was a big, black, somewhat creepy door frame standing in the middle of the desert. He saw literal phalanges (He tried to think about something cool: The Spartans were cool) of computers showing up endless nerd trivia monitored by even more nerds that could be interested in trivia.

And then the guys in suits. Dear God, he didn't need the guys in suits. They kinda creeped him out. They always turned out to be the villains in the movies. He was looking at Sue talking with a guy he figured was a general or something. That chest full of medals left little to the imagination.

From that poofy mustache, though, he looked like a guy that could take an afternoon to build an ungrateful puppet.

There was another suit with them, wearing a pair of sunglasses. He was a balding guy with the most prominent forehead he ever saw and a kind of sleepy appearance. If he was trying to get somebody's guard down and shove him into a black SUV, then Johnny guessed he had the right attitude at least. The most harmless suit he ever saw.

"Hey, did someone lost a little kid or something?" Johnny was almost startled as he turned to see the tallest astronaut he ever saw. Well, he was the first, but still, the man was a mountain. He was wearing a bulking and almost tacky blue spacesuit and had a pair of reassuring eyes, also blue. "Where's yer parents, kiddo?" He patted on Johnny's head, ruining minutes of hard work he did on his locks that morning.

"My sister is talking to Geppetto over there."

The man chuckled. "Ya gotta be...Yer Susie's little brother! I remember when you were just a yea high. Yer filling out, kid."

"Well, looks like you're filling out enough, big guy." He patted on the man's belly, earning a gruff grunt from the astronaut.

"Yer goin' places, kid. Granted, maybe not good ones."

"Looks like you got a fan, Grimm!" The man with the white mustache showed up, giving another, hair ruining pat to Johnny's hair while he went to meet Ben. Ben couldn't help but crack a smile at seeing the kid's grin turn into a frown. "Be proud, son. Your sister and your friend are going to become heroes." The two men exchanged a salute. "Major Grimm."

"General Ross, sir."

"How does it feel to be about to make history, Major?"

"Funny, everyone is asking me that."

"You really should be proud. You're doing a great service to your country."

Johnny couldn't decide if those stock phrases that all military guys seemed to say were just that or actually sincere. Both possibilities were unsettling.

The other man with the general offered a handshake, still flashing that sleepy smile of his. He had a firm grip, and Johnny noticed he had some circuit like glowing lines on the back of his hand.

"I don't know if we met: Agent Coulson of Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division."

"That's a mouthful."

"We are trying to shorten it these days to a possibly less threatening acronym."

"Coulson is here to spy on us." Ross tried to pass it off as a joke. A bad one but still, points for the effort.

"Technically, we are monitoring this experiment for security reasons. But yes, we're also spying on you. It's just that many of the talents involved in this project were kinda flying under the radar." He blinked. "Pun intended."

"Hope that Reed Richards knows what he's doing. To be fair, he's the only member of this Think Tank apart from Doctor Moy that bothered to show up. Tony Stark has decided to mysteriously disappear in Afghanistan. That's just poor form."

"And we've got no whereabouts of Doctor Banner as well. Who knows, maybe they ran off together..." Coulson said.

"I told you not to say that name again!" The General all tensed up, almost like he was going to take a chair and break it over something. Or someone. Preferably Coulson's huge forehead. It was the first time Coulson's unflappable smile cracked. "But enough of that." The General snapped immediately to his semi-pleasant self. "Hope Doctor Richards has put some thought about this."

"I assure you, General, I just spent a lifetime working on this. Nothing too serious." Reed showed up out of nowhere with Sue at his side. The two of them were wearing the same spacesuit as Ben. Reed was absentmindedly checking on some calculations on the holographic keyboard on his wrist.

"The contributors are going to feel safe now, Doctor Richards."

"It's just a shame that we couldn't pour more talents for this experiment. I wouldn't have minded a second opinion about this. Still, it's their loss." Reed let out a nervous laugh that left the General unimpressed.

"Once we open the door to a literal another dimension those nerds are going to flock to us like sheep."

"It's one way to put this, General."

"By the way, Doctor Richards…" Coulson reached into his pocket and took out a business card. "If things don't work out with the government, think about us. We do have an initiative or two that could benefit some extraordinary individuals."

"I'll think about it, Agent Coulson." The man shook hands with Reed and went out his merry way, eliciting another angry look from the General. He was getting used to those as well because this time he merely put his hands in his pocket and whistled on his way. Johnny was always one to follow a good example and decided to go and annoy another authority figure.

"So, is this your idea of a date?" Johnny said with his arms crossed behind his head, flashing a cheeky grin. He nonchalantly walked to Reed's side as he was checking his suit one last time.

"Pardon?"

"Come on...You've known my sister for a decade, at least. Don't' tell me that you never thought about…"

"About what?"

"That thing?"

"What thing?"

"You know…"

Reed raised an eyebrow. "Do _you_?"

Johnny opened his mouth for one long, awkward moment and raised his finger as if to ask a question, before accepting defeat with grace."I'll see myself out…"

"You do that." He could've sworn Reed was smirking as he turned around but he was an egghead and Johnny was cool, they were like from two different planets.

Johnny started following the rest of the bigwigs in the security shelters and took the time to give one last look at his sister. He didn't know know why but he felt that something was profoundly wrong. He stopped on his tracks again as he felt a slight, worrying vibration beneath his feet.

Reed turned on his communication link, built on the inside of his helmet. "Alyssa? Readings?"

"All clear, Reed." A female voice answered to Reed from the other side. "I just need some time to gather the power and we'll be ready to start off the experiment."

The Three of them stood in front of the portal as a gust of wind flew by. The sun shone against its black frame, giving it an ominous feel. It started humming as it began draining half of the electricity of Nevada to power it up. What was more important, a few hours of neon lights or a chance to change the history of humanity as we knew it?

Reed swelled his chest with pride as he was ready to make his dream a reality. To show mankind a way to the stars. To a better future. He was proud of the people that stood beside him to make that a reality.

Ben cracked his knuckles, ready for some action. Part of him hoped there really would be a scary alien with multiple jaws so he could punch all of them.

Sue checked her vitals and the others one final time. She could never be sure enough. Fortunately, the scientist had designed the most advanced life support system three astronauts could ask for. She grabbed the two men hands and took the first step towards the portal.

The strength of their bond was going to be put to the test and turn that dream one brave scientist had a long time a reality. Once they had unloaded their spacecraft, they would've been the first people to set foot in an anotheruniverse.

That was until the Earth started shaking.

The phalanges of machines monitoring the activity of the portal went crazy and filled the air with electrical screeching. The ground quaked with such magnitude that the desert itself was close to cracking in half, swallowing everyone and everything there. The bowels of the earth roared and shook, threatening everyone there with white-hot rage.

"What is it? An earthquake?!" Sue yelled as she tried to keep herself on her feet.

"That's impossible!" Reed said as he tried keeping his glasses on. He activated the sensors in his spacesuit to check in less than three seconds pages upon pages of complex calculations. "Seismic activity has been dormant in this area for years!"

"Looks like it wanted to make a visit, bring the kids…" Ben grumbled. "Could've texted us at least!"

The very ground started to crack, and a vast chasm was opening right under the portal. The already fragile instrument nearly collapsed unto itself and begun buzzing while a series of coils lit up around its entire frame. A myriad of red lights shaped like angry little eyes lit up that frame. Reed fiddled with his communicator to call Doctor Moy for some answers. "Alyssa, what's happening?!"

"I don't know, Reed! The readings are off the scale! The portal can't handle whatever's happening on the other side! Get away from—"

Radio silence.

A blinding red light burst out of it, and suddenly, a door to a new universe was opened. That small corner of the Earth was bathed in the light of another sun. As the red light shone upon their bodies, Sue realized with abject horror that their vitals were skyrocketing.

That sight immediately hypnotized Reed. He saw an entire cosmos in front of him, framed only by a red rectangle, at just a few meters from him. Planets made of glass were orbiting around blood-red suns. Clouds of living metal twisting and reforming themselves in labyrinthine and mesmerizing forms. Asteroid rings circling a celestial body at such speed that its diameter was diminishing by the second.

With a look of horror and unquenchable curiosity, he noticed that those weren't asteroids: That was a swarm.

He tried to reach that display of beauty and pure horror with his hand, those alien worlds, and unquantifiable galaxies, but it was still too hard. For a moment, he was sure that those strange creatures were looking right at him, and his world but the sheer magnitude of what was happening didn't make him deter. If only his arm were longer if only he could stretch it just a little further and touch...

"Reed...Ben...I can't see!" Sue's eyes turned pale white as she stumbled blindly. Ben weakly tried to stop her from tripping over herself, but he felt his entire body heavier than ever before. It felt like his spacesuit was being slowly filled with rocks and his knees gave up.

An enormous, roaring, bloated mass of energy erupted from the portal and was going to engulf the brave explorers with it.

"Sue, look out!" The General tried to grab Johnny. But Ross was one second too late, and Johnny leaped to his sister's aid, running faster than he ever ran. He didn't care about the enormous projectiles of energy bombarding the area so focused he was on helping his sister. Just as Johnny Storm managed to tackle Sue out of the way, one sphere of pure, glowing energy hit them both and knocked the siblings to the ground. Reed screamed in horror as he watched them fall.

The red light consumed the four, and the portal fell silent as if anything ever happened there, leaving just a crater in front of the portal.

Sue started to slowly come to her sense, her vision coming and going as she tried to make sense of her surrounding. She felt like her skin was burning and removed her helmet to catch some fresh air. She felt some relief with her eyesight restored and realized she was in a huge crater still in the desert. "Reed? Ben? Johnny?!"

Half buried in the charred ground she saw Reed.

His limbs and chest and neck were horrifically and unnaturally stretched as he was laying on the ground. It looked like all of his bones were pulverized, his skin a mere container.

"Oh...Oh, God…" Sue took a few tentative steps towards, not daring to move him. "Reed, oh God, please don't be—"

"Sue!" The misshapen creature with Reed's face raised from the ground like the coils of a snake. His chest and arms were absurdly long while his neck was twisted in such a way that a human being couldn't survive that. Obviously, someone didn't bother to tell Reed as he held up one stretched out hand in front of him and wiggled out some tentacle-like fingers. "That's...That's fascinating."

"Well glad you like it because I'm freaking out!"

"Sue…" Reed blinked a few times and looked down at the rest of him. "Please, don't freak out…"

"What happened to you?! You look like you're somehow made of rubber."

"I think we are in the same predicament. I can't...I can't see you!" At first, Reed thought he was having some kind of concussion due to the incident and the subsequent fall, but that was unquestionably what looked like an empty space suit walking around that talked with Sue's voice. "It's like you're neither absorbing or reflecting any form of light!"

"What? I'm invisible?!" Sue hastily unclasped one glove of her spacesuit and threw it on the ground only to find no hand inside it. "Reed, I know you won't approve, but I think I'll keep freaking out!"

"Please try to stay calm even if what's happening defies the laws of physics as we know it!"

"Wait a minute...Where's Johnny?" Sue said as she turned and Reed did the same as he further stretched his neck upwards to take a better view. The two froze in shock when they saw what looked like a man-shaped bonfire coming screaming at them.

 **"REED! SUE! IM ON FIRE!"** Johnny screamed at the top of his lungs as he flailed his arms around while wreathed in flames so hot that the ground beneath him was slightly melting at every step. His voice was somewhat booming and distorted by the strange flaming aura.

"Johnny! Stop, drop and roll!" Sue tried to reach for him to calm him down but noticed how easy people that could see their limbs had it

"Wait a minute, Johnny!" The boy stopped in his tracks as he saw a giant mass of long, contorted limbs crawling towards him that somehow had his friend's face on it. "I've figured it out! You're not really on fire!"

 **"I THOUGHT YOU WERE THE SMART ONE, REED! HOW CAN I NOT BE ON FIRE?!"** He shrugged and gestured towards his new fiery look.

"Think about it, Johnny! You should be in agony or smell charring meat. It does not seem so since you have the time to complain about it."

Johnny looked at his flaming hands with a puzzled look. "I guess...Not?" He sniffed the air a few times only to smell some ozone. The boy looked a little...Disappointed by that. After that outburst, he felt pretty embarrassed at being wrong. And being shown up by Reed Richards but mostly being wrong.

Sue realized that, and if someone could've seen her, they would've seen her slapping her invisible forehead with her invisible hand.

"I think that the radiations coming from this portals have somehow transformed us into something...Different. It gave me a far greater degree of flexibility than a normal human body would allow, Sue can turn herself invisible and Johnny is not on fire. He is made of fire." Reed further stretched his torso and coiled three times around himself. He tried to return to a somewhat human shape afterward, but he felt a little discomfort around his still uneven shoulders and one still flaccid ankle dragging his foot on the ground. "Uh oh…"

 **"I DON'T LIKE THE SOUND OF THAT! WHY DID HE SAY THAT?!"**

Reed went pale in shock as he noticed they missed one member of their unfortunate expedition into the unknown. "Where's Ben?"

As if on cue, a giant rock flew over the three newly superhumans' heads and crashed on the ground, pulverizing itself into thousands of little pebbles.

"REEEEEEEEEED!" A voice bellowed from the distance and when the dust settled, Reed Richards blood froze in his veins as he realized the horrible truth: That giant pile of orange rocks with broad shoulders, a huge, prominent brow and a pair of angry but still noticeably human blue eyes, wearing the tattered remains of a blue spacesuit around its waist, was his friend Ben Grimm. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME?!" Ben took a pair of menacing steps, and the ground trembled as he moved slowly but patiently towards the scientist. Reed tried to act rational, but the sheer menace that his friend radiated in his new form was downright otherworldly. The...thing his friend had turned into was twice as tall as a human being and covered, no, downright made of solid rock stone.

"Ben, whatever happened I need you to stay calm, I think—"

"OH, YOU THINK?! I THINK IM GONNA SMASH YA TO A PULP!" Ben raised one huge fist and Reed jumped out of the way to avoid finding himself at the bottom of the smaller crater Ben made inside their own. "YOU TURNED ME INTO A MONSTER, REED! HOW COULD YOU?!"

"Ben, stay calm! I don't want to hurt you!" Reed said as he instinctively sprung forward and wrapped his elastic body around his friend's solid rock frame to try and restrain him. Ben just roared and grabbed one strand of his malleable form.

"TOO BAD! I REALLY WANT TO!" He grabbed Reed by one stretched arm and started rotating on himself. The momentum would've turned a man of Reed's size into a projectile destined to be turned into red mist as soon as he hit the ground, but the scientist flattened his body, allowing him to float safely and land as a soft, bluish mass. Reed pulled himself to his feet and tried to keep resonating with the behemoth.

"Ben! Reed! Stop that immediately!" The air around Sue started cracking with electricity as her face was visible again. She looked with horror as she saw Ben try to land deadly punch after deadly punch and Reed barely dodging each one, contorting his body in the craziest shapes.

Finally, Reed had enough of being on the defensive and wrapped himself up around Ben, trying to restrain his movements. Ben tried to shake Reed off of him and from the look of the scientist, he was doing so.

"Hey, sis! Your mom's voice! It worked! I've never been happier to see your face." Johnny looked at his hands still wreathed in flames. "Could you yell at me too? I'd like to return to normal."

"I will later! Thanks for trying to save me, by the way!"

That was the angriest thank you, Johnny, ever heard.

"Ben, look at Sue! She's able to turn it on and off, to make herself visible on command." Reed struggled to keep Ben's arms restrained, but the giant managed to free one arm and tried to grab Reed's face. "I can transform my body to make it look human. Maybe it works for all of us! Maybe I could help you yo—"

"WELL, DO IT RIGHT NOW, STRETCH! OR I SWEAR TO GOD I—" Ben lifted a giant fist and in the time that took Reed to blink, he found out that it was just one inch from his face.

"I SAID STOP!" As Sue roared her command, both Reed and Ben were knocked off their feet and landed at several feet from each other by what looked like a pair of invisible punches slamming them right in the chest. To Johnny it looked more like an angry mom placing herself between two warring siblings and holding them by the forehead as they flailed their arms helplessly, trying to hit each other like in the movies.

"Whoah...Did Susie do that?" Ben looked as puzzled as any giant rock monster would look if it were knocked on the ground by a five-foot tall girl. As he learned many times in the course of his life, sometimes a man needed a good knocking before regaining some sense. To his horror, he noticed that it was like being hit by a speeding car...And it didn't even hurt. He barely felt it as his rocky butt was already sent flying.

Reed looked down and noticed that not only he didn't feel any pain whatsoever, the impact just left a small circle shaped bump in his ribcage. Or at least in the point where it should've been his rib cage since ribcages don't simply inflate themselves back to shape.

"It looked like a force field of some kind. We need some time to test our new abilities. Ben…" He offered one hand to his friend to help him get up. "Please...I promise that I will find a way to turn you back."

Ben looked at him for what seemed like an eternity and Reed had that look again. Reed's stoic and logical facade was cracking by the second as Ben could see in his eyes something he rarely saw from his friend: Regret, fear, and an unspeakable sorrow.

The same sorrow in Ben's blue eyes as he held up one rocky hand in front of him and realized things would've never been the same. He never noticed how much his hands weighed before but how he did and he hated it.

Ben grumbled and grabbed Reed's hand.

The four looked up to see some army helicopters come to pick them up. Johnny closed his eyes and tensed every muscle in his body, and he stopped being wreathed in flames. He then realized his clothes had turned to ash. Johnny, then, placed a hand on his head. He still had hair. Still messy but not burned. "I guess it's not the right time to ask for a pair of underwear."

"Wotta revoltin' development."

"This is quite fascinating, Reed. And terrifying, too." The black haired woman in the lab coat was checking four holographic renditions of the four newly transformed anatomies. Reed, Sue, and Johnny were in the aseptic laboratory, almost bare if not the built-in holographic interfaces coming out at the speed of thought and almost invisible but effective scanners that immediately checked their new bodies the moment they entered it. Two armed guards were just outside. Sue didn't expect them to not put some hidden cameras in there. At least Sue had finally some time to see the home base of this so-called "think tank" of scientists.

"Tells us something we don't know, Alyssa." Sue was pacing back and forth, turning on and off her powers on a reflex. Unbeknownst to everyone, she was figuring out how her power was working. The invisibility was a little tricky but, ironically, she was able to create shapes of different size entirely invisible to the human eye.

"You've just been turned to lifeforms this world has never seen. As far as I'm concerned you are something you don't know."

"Yeah, what would the Oracle of Delphi say about that?" Johnny said from the other side of the room, still nursing his thankfully extinguished hands. He drew some curious looks from all the presents. "Know thyself?" He blinked. "I'm not just a pretty face, you know."

"We still don't know the limits of your new abilities, so we'll have to do some tests." As Doctor Moy went on and on about some newly built testing ground for them, Sue walked off, wanting to take a breath of fresh hair until she saw New York City from the window.

The Baxter Building was a colossus of metal and concrete. A sleek, pure white fortress of science standing out like a sore thumb amidst the concrete jungle of Manhattan. Sue looked at the city from up high and realized that those bulletproof glasses were basically a prison. She could see that in Ross' eyes that the army feared them.

It was sensible, coldly logical even, but it still irked her. Her thoughts went to Ben and the fact they had just caged him like an animal because they couldn't comprehend him. While she didn't condone that outburst, at the time, Sue realized she would've done exactly the same. Besides, Ben went in there of his own volition.

She didn't feel much different than before. She was still that girl living with her aunt and taking care of her baby brother. Sure, he was sixteen now, but she was still a baby...She was still that girl that graduated at the top of her class despite her father being a criminal. She was still that girl that by a fantastic series of coincidences had Reed Richards in her life again.

Why turning invisible and creating force fields would change all that? Why would turn into an elastic man, and a human torch would change what they were? Why would that change of appearance change Ben Grimm?

Those men in uniform just didn't get that.

The persons that emerged from that incident were the same. End of the story.

"We're gonna get out of here." And with that, she turned invisible.

"Be honest with me, Reed." Ben Grimm was a simple man. A man that had lived everything a man could live. When he saw a friend in need, he would help him. That's what a man was supposed to do. When he looked at his giant, rocky hands asked himself 'Was this my reward?'. All those years of defending Reed, having his back, lead to this?

"I'm here, Ben." Reed was sitting just outside the cell. It had no bars but only a field of energy that was supposed to fry any prisoner with funny ideas like a moth. One thing he liked about the military was they didn't mess around. Ben had found out that so-called security measure only stung him a little when he tried to pass through it, like an angry little mosquito. Better than nothing, he guessed.

"If ya knew what was goin' ta happen...Ya still would've asked me, ain'tcha?"

"No, Ben...Not this way...I had no idea that—"

"Now that's funny. Reed Richards got no ideas." Ben started cracking his knuckles as he used only to find out he had no knuckles to crack anymore. Just rocks.

"Ben, I promised that I would help you. I will find a cure for this...This…"

"Ugly mug syndrome?" He let out a gravely phoned in laughter. It sounded more like the sound of rocks being rustled together.

"I will turn us into humans again, Ben. Even if it takes me a lifetime to do it."

There it was. That look again in his eyes. Whenever he did that, Ben felt that he couldn't be angry at the guy. That was before, though: He settled for being phenomenally enraged for the moment and call it a day.

"At least give me some technobabble of ya so I can get some sleep. Did Alyssa ever tell ya what happened to us?"

"Well, the good news is that we found other dimensions. Several others."

"The bad news I guess is everything else?"

"Our anatomy is so different from everything that evolved in our ecosystem that the only logical explanation is that somehow we swapped our bodies with our counterparts from other universes where these phenomenal abilities are the norm."

"Wow. So that means one alternate me is running around bein' pretty yet squishy in a world of rock monsters. He's a Ben Grimm, all right. Some luck o' the Irish we got."

"This could also be the mean for a cure. Perhaps your body is still out there in the multiverse. Maybe I can find it and put you back in there."

"Well, awright then." Ben sat on the floor of his cell. "Is it done yet?"

"Ehr...No."

"Then come back here when ya've done it."

One thing people never warned Johnny about was that everything after getting superpowers was so boooooring. After a couple of hours of just turning his power on and off and throwing a couple of fireballs (which was cool) in front of boring guys in military uniforms with poofy mustaches they just stuck him into another lab for other tests.

Was that going to be his life?

"Johnny!" A voice came calling from him from over his shoulder, and he reacted to it with all the calm and rationality a guy in his situation could use.

"OH GOD, I REGRET EVERYTHING!"

"Johnny, it's me." Sue turned visible starting from her eyes so that he could see them rolling them so hard they feared they would pop out of her skull. She stopped unraveling her invisible force field at her neck's height.

"Uh. I guess no one is giving us some clothes to turn invisible to us. Or become fire."

"Our suits kind of absorbed some of the radiations and they can adapt to our powers. Reed believes he can create some new ones, though."

"I hope it's something that makes my butt stand out."

"Johnny…" She shot him a glare.

"What? Girls love that."

Sue raised a hand to stop Johnny's tangent before she figured it out she kinda had to make it visible again."Listen, we're getting out of here."

"That's a great idea and I'd like to subscribe to your newsletter but how do we do that?"

Sue held up the other hand holding up some kind of security key card.

"Wait, where did you get that?"

"Let's just say they do not train secret agents to deal with an invisible girl."

Agent Coulson started revving up the engine of his car, musing about that strange day and the kind of report he was going to give to the giver ups. He checked on his pocket for his smartphone and noticed that something that weighed and felt like a key card was missing.

"Oh, come on, not again! Fitz is going to kill me! Well, not kill me but he'll pout at me and it's really awkward when he does that!"

"I've seen him use that to open some doors in this supposedly high tech, government-sponsored building. Guess he was here to spy on us, like Ross said."

"Wait, you don't have any clothes. Where did you hide tha—"

"Please focus, Johnny." Sue quickly hid the card again and started going off on her own, turning her back on Johnny. "Still, I think we have to get out of here as fast as we can. We have to get Ben out of that cell and lay low for a while. Just as soon the military lowers their guard. Maybe we could find some help, at least someone willing to let us use a lab. Are you with m—" Sue turned around and saw that Johnny was gone. Then noticed that the key card was gone. "Oh, for f—"

If someone told Jonathan Storm that he would be spending the better half of the day running away from the government on a kickass motorcycle, he wouldn't have believed them. He felt terrible about leaving Sue like that, but there's a time in the life of a man where he has to take matters into his own hands. And by matters, he meant a magic key card to escape the military, steal a motorcycle and…

Actually, he didn't plan that far ahead in the future. He figured that he would make it up as it went on.

For the moment, he wanted to feel free. Feel the wind on his face and the sounds of wheels screeching on the streets of New York. As he gathered more and more speed, he saw his hands catching fire and something wild awakened inside of him. He slowly enveloped himself in flames as went faster and then, his skin flaking off slowly as pure energy replaced it and then...He let go of the handle.

 **"FLAME ON!"** He bellowed, and just like that, his incandescent form became lighter than air. He thrust his arms in front of him and let go of the motorcycle. As if on a reflex the boy expanded the aura of pure energy around his body, creating a sonic boom that propelled him forwards and then all the way up.

A human torch started soaring through the sky. **"HOLY SHIT IM NOT DEAD!"**

Still, it was always a good outcome.

In a matter of minutes, Johnny became a sensation on Instagram as he saw dozens of passerby taking his picture with their phone. Part of him knew that Reed and Sue and the General or whoever would've killed him for that but that wasn't important to him. At that moment he felt utterly indestructible.

"Holy shit...Is that a mutant?!"

"No, it can't be...Maybe that vigilante? The guy from Hell's Kitchen?!"

"This is not Hell's Kitchen, and he doesn't fly!"

"Yeah, but you've seen him? You can't know that!"

"Guys! It's The Human Torch! He's back!"

He didn't care much about what they were saying: At that moment he was the center of attention and he loved that. He was moving so fast and everyone down there looked so small, like a collection of tiny dots going on about their own boring lives and he was up there, leaving a trail of pure flames above them. The people loved him for that, even if it was going to be only for an instant.

He felt the cold wind biting his face, but his energy body made it feel more like a warm breeze.

All of his worries evaporated, and with that, he started to laugh louder than he ever did.

He felt powerful.

He felt free.

He was free.

That was when another earthquake came.

 **"OH COME ON, NOT AGAIN!"**

He heard an explosion right in the center of the street and amidst the smoke and rubble an enormous, scaly thing emerged from the ground, his horrid claws grasping at the asphalt to better pull itself out of the earth's crust. A ninety feet tall green monster, his head and arms covered in extremely sharp looking spikes, was right in the center of Manhattan, casting its menacing shadow. The creature towered on everything but the tallest skyscrapers. His eyes had no light and looked like a pair of milky white pits that hid an ancient, alien and brutal intelligence. The citizens of New York didn't even have the time to pull themselves out of the rubble and panic for its big entrance that the monster opened his cavernous maw and roared with such force to lift in the air several cars, sending hundreds of people running for cover. One of the vehicles was about to hit a young Pakistani woman pushing a stroller and without even thinking Johnny put his arms in front of himself. He squeezed out of himself every last drop of energy to conjure a fireball that shoved the car out of the way right as the mother panicked and picked up her baby to try and shield it with her own.

To her immense surprise, the woman wasn't dead. She raised her head she saw the figure of a defender wreathed in flames, standing between her and the monster.

"I'm here now…" Johnny turned towards with a reassuring smile.

The woman nodded with tears of gratitude to her savior and ran away as fast as she could. She hugged her baby and thanked God as she got out of the way.

Ok, that was step one.

Now he had to do the rest.

Worst case scenario he would've died. No big deal.

 _Somewhere in the depths of space…_

Their fleet was a graveyard.

The woman had no illusion about it. Just a long trail of failures and metal and hate. If there was one thing her people still had was the sheer hatred they felt. It was a good thing: Hate was a weapon. Everything started with a weapon. One man wielding a weapon could carve an empire by itself. An empire that would've made the infinite, uncaring stars weep with blood.

It was the only thought that kept her warm at night.

As she stood in the darkest bowels of the mothership after being escorted by the cold sentries, the woman was waiting alone in the throne room. She reminisced about that place: She had seen it at its prime, shining with the literal and metaphorical light of her people. The loneliness of that place was something leaders had to grow accustomed to it. She never questioned her orders and respected the burden of command. Never shed a tear for what she had lost.

Four green lights shone in the infinite darkness and she kneeled at that sight. The eyes of the Supremor were upon her.

"Rise, daughter…" The voice whispered, their tone soothing and yet as strong as steel, sounding like a thousand people speaking at once, both male and female.

"Command me, Supremor."

"The signal, daughter...It is time…For you to act."

"No...No, it can't be!" The woman raised her head to stare right at her leader's otherworldly form. "But from where?"

"A blue planet, forgotten, lost until now in the fog of ages...They too have opened the way to the stars."

"Could that be…?"

"Yes...Our old, testing ground. A new species evolved on it. They too have completed the great work." Green liquid spilled on the floor, forming a series of concentric circles and from the innermost one, it emerged a hammer with a black diamond at the center of its head. "Take this, daughter. Our last Universal Weapon." Another weapon emerged at the opposite side of the hammer. It looked like a couple of triangles joined at their respective tip. "Our last Eternity Forge. May their power guide you and their might aid you."

At that ancestral sight, the woman finally dared to feel hope again. She raised and grabbed the two weapons, crossing them over her chest. "Thank you, Supremor."

"Go, daughter...Our, dear, Hala. Our _Accuser_."

Author's Notes: Well, here we are. I had this idea for a long time, but better late than never sa they say. I've been a Marvel fan ever since I learned o read and I never stopped since then. My dad passed to me his old X-men and Fantastic Four and I was hooked. When the marvel Cinematic Universe started we were both thrilled and we loved almost every movie. This is just my tkae on how things could've been if Marvel had the rights of all their properties. Of course, I do understand the situation and, to be fair, I had this idea before I learned of the whole Marvel-Fox deal. Still, I hope you'll have fun reading this as much as I had fun writing it.

For those of you reading the comics, you can see I took some elements of Ultimate Fantastic Four (underrated) and Marvel Season One (Even more underrated) but as you can from Hala the Accuser's presence things can and will get crazier. As a wise man once said: "Excelsior!"


	2. The First Family 02

_Stanford University, Five Years Ago_

"THIS IS AN OUTRAGE!"

As Sue turned towards that bona fide roar, she wondered if they'd hear that to the next state as it was that loud. She tried to finish at least one more paragraph but she was too curious about that outburst. Professor Elder was a small but passionate man, all right. She got up from her table and brought her laptop with her as she tried to take a peek in the hallway where all that fuss was about.

"YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME!"

"Please, stay calm, Professor Elder." Sue recognized the dean, an unassuming black man with a bald head and a small bead. "The students are going to—"

"OUR STUDENTS WILL AND SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THIS! YOU'RE GIVING UP AN OPPORTUNITY TO CHANGE THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD!"

"Professor, please, your theories have been repeatedly discredited. If only you were rational about this—"

"THEY ARE WRONG! EVERYONE IS WRONG! SUBTERRANEA EXISTS AND YOU!" As he pointed his fat, wart-covered finger at the Dean, Elder hesitated for a second as if he waited for everyone available to see the scene in its entirety. "YOU HAVE CONDEMNED THE HUMAN RACE TO MEDIOCRITY!"

"Harvey…"

"MEDIOCRITY!" He screamed as he stormed down the hallway and practically running with heavy steps towards the front door, ready to never return. Professor Elder went out of his way to knock a stack of papers from the hands of poor students whose only crime was just passing through. She started running to catch with the Professor. and she had to admit that for such a short, stocky man he was incredibly fast.

"Ehm...Professor…?"

"WHAT IS IT NOW?!" The man looked to his right and at the sight of Sue's practically terrified face, something in him just deflated. The raging little man cleared his voice and lowered his head in shame. He picked up a handkerchief from his lab coat's pocket and started pretending to clean his coke bottle glasses. "I'm...Sorry for that outburst, Miss Storm."

"I...I just wanted to tell you that your echolocation technology is truly ahead of its time."

"Oh...Glad someone else understands. If only those FOOLS did!" He made sure one last time to be heard as he screamed that word right in front of the door. "Mankind dreams of the stars and even other universes but has no idea what lies beneath its feet, inside our very planet. There are whole continents, filled with creatures that have evolved to never see the light of day but, alas, Stanford University hates new discoveries and they are adverse to daring! What would science be without brave hearts and sharp minds, Miss Storm? What would we be if we didn't have the power to strive and conquer?"

"It wouldn't be a life worth living, Professor."

The man smiled and even if his teeth were short and sharp, it was a rather endearing sight. He extended his hand towards Sue. "Please, I hope you continue with your research. That dissertation on the use of force field technology applied to microsurgery was really fascinating. Good luck, Miss Storm. They don't deserve you here."

Sue shook his hand. "And good luck to you, Professor."

And with that, he left. Sue sighed at seeing such a brilliant mind losing himself and possibly his career in a fit of anger. Men made mistakes, though. If they didn't, they wouldn't be men. She wondered if they would ever meet again.

She went back to finish her work until she stumbled upon that student still trying to pick up his papers. Sue bent over to help him gather him and for a second their hands brushed. They both stopped for a second and Sue slowly raised her head to meet his gaze. She saw a timid smile and the same tacky glasses she loved.

"Reed?"

"Sue?"

* * *

When she saw that sight and the two smiles mirroring each other, they both felt young again.

 _New York, Six Minutes after the giant monster attacked_

"You're telling me that there's a giant monster out there, Johnny is missing and you stole something from a secret agent?"

"Well, if you put it that way it sounds terrible." Sue tried to not look Reed in his eyes as she focused on putting back her spacesuit as methodically as possible. Mostly to distract from the ever-growing desire to find her brother right now and punch him in the face.

"Actually, no, that last part was quite impressive."

"Really?"

"Yes, I would've absolutely did the same." Reed stretched one arm to grab a contraption that he instantly cobbled together to another. All Sue could see was Reed wrapping up his hand around them several times and then it was done. "But now it's not important. What's the plan?"

"Save Johnny, stop the monster."

"I like the plan. Good basics." Reed looked around and spotted a ventilation duct. "There you go. You know what's the most likely outcome if one would happen to actually take that passageway, Sue?"

"It would collapse because they're not built to house humans. Also, they're too tight." She smirked as she saw exactly where he was going with this.

"Fortunately, that just became a non-issue." Reed removed the panel and molded his body in a thinner, narrower form as he slid inside the opening. He kept his head in the room as the rest of his body slowly disappeared, aided by his long neck in the task. "I'll need just the time to get Ben and then we're ready to go." He pulled one arm out of the vent and gave the contraption to Sue.

"What is this, by the way?"

"An electronic door opener. It should be able to make our escape by removing the electronic locks with a generous amount of kinetic energy."

"It's a bomb?"

"You're right if you put anything in a certain way it sounds terrible..."

"Reed!" before she could say something else he was gone. "Dammit." Sue looked at the bomb and a drop of cold sweat crossed her brow. She very carefully placed the bomb on a nearby desk and went back to the window, following the trail of smoke and police vehicles the monster was leaving in its wake. For every minute they wasted there some lives could be lost and the thought was tearing her from the inside.

Without hesitating, she picked up a chair with her force field and aimed at the window. Just one good shot and she might've been able to break it and get out of there and…

"Sue, what are you doing?" The woman turned to see Alyssa Moy behind her just as she was about to launch her makeshift weapon and make her glorious escape. Awkward.

"Getting out of here, what do you think?"

"And then what? Jump out of the window, create a force field to not break your bones in the fall, help Reed to make Ben escape and fight a giant monster mano a mano to rescue your brother?"

Sue blinked. They did tell her Alyssa was smart. "Yes."

Alyssa sighed, shaking her head. "Ross is not going to like that, you know?"

"I don't care what he thinks." Sue took another look outside and this time she could see the white of the monster's pale eyes getting closer. "New York needs us. We are the only ones that might be able to make a dent in that thing."

"Do you guys even have a plan or you're just hoping to punch it until it gives up?"

"We'll make it up as we go."

"Sue…" Alyssa removed her glasses. "You guys have just become something the world has never seen. If you die against that thing, the world will lose something wonderful, one of a kind…"

"Every life is. That's why we did what we did. For all the people out there. If we don't use these gifts for them then we are not worthy of those powers." She started to slowly levitate the chair towards the scientist. "f you don't want to help us, then get out."

"Calm down, Xena," Alyssa smirked and politely moved out of the way. "What I'm trying to say is that you'll need a ride if you want to get there fast." Alyssa opened up a holographic screen and pressed a few buttons. A mechanical voice said, "Access Granted."

"What's that do?"

"Let's just say I didn't get into this think tank for my sense of humor and looks..And we need to test this baby out, don't we?"

* * *

Ben Grimm was still sitting in his cell. He felt like a jerk for leaving Reed with those words but he still wasn't ready to forgive him. Maybe he wouldn't ever be able to. Still, he wanted to at least talk about it some more, hear his justification...Anything to not make this an elephant in the room for the rest of their lives. It's not that Reed would pop out of an air vent on the ceiling so they could talk at least come to an understanding.

In fact, he came from the one on the wall. "Ben!" Reed screamed as he burst out of the vent.

"Jeez, Stretch. What are we doin', rehearsing Die Hard? Is There some Germans to punch?"

"Close. An unidentified hostile life form has emerged from the ground and is rampaging through New York."

Ben blinked. "Yer messing with me."

"I've never been more serious in my life. We have no idea where it came from but we can't let it rampage through the city." Reed stretched his arms and started fiddling around with the commands of Ben's cell.

"What are ya doin'?"

"Getting you out of here. We need you if we want to neutralize that monster."

"Oh, yeah? And what makes ya think I wanna?"

"Come on, Ben…" Reed pinched the bridge of his nose. "I told you that I'll find a way to turn you human again. And I will. But right now we need that strength of yours."

"Well, as soon as it can ta almighty Reed Richa—"

"Johnny is out there, Ben." Reed bit his lip as the electronic lock still refused to accept his password. He always worked better without a time schedule, especially one that tight.

Ben instantly stood up in his cell, making it tremble with heavy steps as he approached Reed. "The kid?"

"Yes. He's out there and there's a strong possibility he's under attack. Alone and with powers he barely knows how to use."

"What...How did he—?"

"He sneaked out. The boy is full of surprises."

"Dammit'. I told him he was goin' places but that's just ridiculous!"

"I'll need more time to encrypt this lock. Assuming you're with—"

"Stand aside, stretch. I'll think 'bout that." Ben simply walked through the forcefield and all it did was to slightly charr some of the stones on his shoulders. The cell's circuits simply sizzled a few seconds and turned off, letting some smoke out.

"You could've come out anytime you wanted."

"Yeah. And now I really wanna." Ben slammed his fist on the palm of his other hand. "So? Where's this monster o' yours?"

Reed? Can you hear me?

Reed reached for his suit's communicator. "Sue? Where are you?"

"I found us a ride."

* * *

Fighting a giant monster wasn't a perfect science.

Sure, Johnny's aerial maneuvering needed some work but he dodged those car wrecks the monster was throwing just fine. Still, the creature was unfazed as each and every one of his fireballs failed to penetrate its hide. What was really worrying, though, was the fact that unless Johnny managed to gather its attention with a fireball or two, the monster just keeps marching relentlessly towards The Baxter Building. No matter whether he bombarded his back or pelted his belly with fireballs, the creature just didn't want to slow down.

One thing was certain, though: If Reed, Sue, and Ben were still there, that thing had to march over his dead body to get to that place

 **"HEY UGLY! COME HERE!"** Johnny flew around the monsters head and left a labyrinthine trail of fire around its head to distract it but the monster was still focused on the Baxter Building. **"THAT'S JUST RUDE AND YOU KNOW IT!"** With that, he threw a fireball at the monster's eye and this time, it felt that. He turned slowly towards Johnny and opened its mouth, letting out another horrendous roar, its sheer force nearly knocking Johnny out of the air and sending him flying towards a nearby building. **"AH! GOT YOUR ATTENTION, DIDN'T I?!"** He tried another flurry of fireballs towards its eyes again but the monster raised his hand with alarming speed and parried them all. He then swatted Johnny away with the back of his hand, smashing a fire hydrant and soaking him with water.

As he laid with his back on the ground and was being soaked with public water, Johnny realized that the sheer humiliation hurt more than pain itself. But really, the pain was the worst.

Johnny tried to get back up to his feet but he only managed to crawl. He concentrated as hard as he could but managed to ignite only one hand. "Come on...Come on!"

Meanwhile, from the same chasm the monster had come out, a swarm of skinny, goblin-like creatures with big, bulgy eyes and yellow skin stormed out. There so many that by the force of number they managed to carry on top of their pile a makeshift throne made of junk and metal pieces. It sat on it a small man wrapped in green tatters with short greasy hair, wearing a pair of blue protective glasses and holding a scepter. That too looked like it was built from scraps but the creatures followed it every time he waved it around.

"People of New York!" The man bellowed as the mountain of little creatures paraded him down the streets. "For too long you have ignored what was lying beneath your feet! For too long you have plundered the soil, uncaring of its people! No more! The tyranny of the surface world ends here!" Some of the creatures left the humongous pile and stormed the streets. Johnny tried even harder to make his power work before they hurt any civilian. "The Mole Man says no more! The surface world is going to pay for its hubris, starting for that monument of your arrogance! The Baxter Building! Giganto!"

The monster roared and turned towards its master, leaning forward to listen to him with almost puppyish devotion.

"Destroy the pretenders! So says your king!" Johnny saw the Mole Man's scepter lit up and the monster followed its command. It started to downright skip towards the Baxter Building and Johnny outright screamed of rage, managing to light up only one half of his body. He closed his eyes, waiting for a miracle…

...That came in the form of a giant rock monster dropping on the (bigger) monster from the sky.

 **"IT'S CLOBBERIN' TIME!"**

Ben smashed both fists on the monster's head and the creature let out a long whine before stopping on its track and nursing his head. Ben landed on the street, leaving a crater in his wake. As he noticed the droves of people coming out of their homes to not get smashed with them by a giant monster, he raised his hands and tried to calm them down.

"All right, people. We're here now. Just stay calm an'—"

"The monster's got babies! Run!"

Ben sighed and deflated. At least they were getting out of the way.

"Hey, Ben!" Johnny shouted at the forlorn giant. "You'll always be the most beautiful sight I had all day."

"Now I'm regrettin' comin' back for ya." Even if he said that he was smiling.

Johnny looked up and saw one of the sweetest rides ever: It had the chassis of a stealth bomber with a sleek silver paint. There was four sphere shaped cockpits from two of which descended Reed and Sue, enveloped in one of her force fields. Johnny noticed that all three of them were still wearing their spacesuits from that fated experiment. Sue ran out of the energy bubble and lunged at her brother to hug him tight.

"Hmmm...Susie? I'm kind of naked." He quickly shook his arm to put the weak flames out.

"I don't care. I've seen you in diapers." She pulled him closer, caressing his long blond hair. "And you're soaking wet!" He hugged her back and for just a brief second, the boy wanted to stay like that and forget that crazy day he was monsters and dangers, just him and her. Like that really old song, you' can't always get what you want. He let go of Sue and effortlessly wreathed himself in flames. The four of them now were standing right in front of a very pissed off giant monster that had just recovered from that blow.

"So...Any plans?" Johnny said with literal fire through his veins.

"Suppose' I punch it again." Ben cracked his neck.

"Johnny, you were the first to see it." Reed stretched his neck out and got right into Johnny's face. Even if lived a hundred years he would never get used to that." You got any info that can help us?"

"Yeah? You see that?" He pointed at the mountain of little yellow monsters. "On top of that throne? There's its boss. He's got some kind of control rod thingy."

"Are you positive?"

"And he thinks he's cute. He's got a name. The Mole Man." Johnny snickered.

"Then I guess someone can snatch it out of his hands." Sue and Reed exchanged a knowing smirk as the woman turned invisible.

"Johnny? You'll be our aerial support. Try to distract the creature at my signal."

"You know, it really hates when someone messes with his eyes." The boy lit a small flame in his hand and then closed his fist.

"Yer good at messing with people, kid."

"And your good at punching monsters, so keep it up." Ben exchanged a reluctant fist bump with Johnny as the boy took off and started annoying the monster again. The creature sounded like it was downright tired of dealing with the guy. He tried to squash him again with a backhand strike but this time Johnny had figured it out its pattern.

Sue was getting up close and personal with the swarm of little yellow monsters. The creatures looked gangly and sickly but raised enough mayhem. When she saw them harassing a group of civilians that tried to fend them off with a metal tube, she didn't want to take any chances. She grabbed a wooden plank and started swinging left and right, clonking a few of them on the head. The civilians managed to take care of the rest and Sue snaked out of the way, resuming her mad ash for the throne.

"Wait, what happened?"

"I didn't see anyone else…"

"It means it worked," Sue smirked as she jumped on the pile of monsters still carrying their master with them and started attacking the ones leaving the pile before they swarmed to the streets like their brethren to hurt someone else.

After downing a couple more one of the creatures turned and snatched her weapon away, shrieking in rage at her as it snapped the wooden board in half.

Sue took a few steps back and realized the creatures were sniffing the air and wiggling their pointy ears at her. All of the creatures got in a somewhat ordered formation and started staring right through her invisible silhouette. "Of course, Sue. They came from the underground. They don't need to see. You knew it couldn't be that easy."

"Who dares?!" Shouted the man sitting on the throne. "Who dares to hurt my subjects in their rightful task?!" The monsters completely dismantled the pile and carefully placed the throne on the ground as they formed two opposite rows. The Mole Man's scepter whirred and buzzed towards Sue as he took a few steps forward and the creatures kneeled. "No one can escape the Mole Man' sight! Reveal yourself, you weird creature!"

Sue sighed and uncloaked herself. She was pretty annoyed at being called like that since no person commanding a horde of underground monsters had any right to call anyone weird, thank you very much. Sue started walking among the hissing creatures, steel in her gaze, ready to smash that little man with a forcefield and grab his scepter. As a show of utter defiance, the woman placed one foot over the throne, drawing out another hissing session from the creatures. She took a long look at her enemy and that warty little man dressed in tatters looked strangely familiar…

"Wait...Doctor Elder?!"

* * *

"All right, let's test this out!" Reed stretched out his torso and covered the whole width of the street. He wrapped his arms around a nearby lamppost and did the same with his legs with another on the opposite side. "Johnny, now!"

"ON IT, REED!" Johnny flew up right to the monster's face and shot one burst of pure white light from his body, blinding the monster. It covered its hurting eye and stumbled blindly on its huge feet until it tripped on Reed. The monster fell and for a brief moment, it regained its sight...Only to see a rock giant reading an uppercut aimed right at its chin.

"Hey there!" Ben was downright beaming as he unleashed a devastating punch on the monster's face, sending it flying and overturn the creature with a single blow, his back smashing on the street. The monster let out one long, pitiful whine as it was enveloped by a giant cloud of dust and debris. "Well, look at that. I'm good at punchin' things!"

"Giganto!" The Mole Man turned towards the fallen monster with a look of extreme concern. "What have you done to him?!" The Mole Man pointed his scepter at Sue.

"Doctor Elder." Sue raised her hands and tried to come forward as slowly and calmly as she could. The creatures hissed but she wasn't deterred. "Please, Doctor Elder, tell me what happened to you."

"Call me Mole Man, now! Doctor Elder is a faded memory! How can you remember that name?"

"I was one of your students at Stanford! Do you remember Stanford? It's me, Susan Storm!"

"S-Susan Storm?" The Mole Man seemed to calm down and lowered his scepter. It was still whirring so Sue kept a safe distance from it. "I'm almost blind but I do recognize that name...And your voice...So gentle. What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same! Unless you found that...Subterranea you mentioned, right?"

"Yes! Yes!" The snarling supervillain turned into an enthusiastic man of science in the span of a second. "I have found it! It was even more grandiose than I could ever imagine! These creatures, my subjects, they had no idea it existed another world just above theirs. But they believed me! They didn't shun me for my ideas or my appearance and I do not shun them. These are my people and I'm their king! And when they heard how their king was treated...Oh they were furious, Miss Storm!" The creatures hissed with hate. "And now we're here to make them all pay, starting with the Baxter Building! A monument to the surface's world arrogance!"

"I suppose it's not a good time to say that I'm part of it."

"Oh." The Mole Man looked incredibly disappointed and lowered his head as the creatures started swarming Sue.

"Johnny? What are they doing?" Reed stretched his neck as far as he could, looking for Sue.

"I think there…" Johnny flew a little bit higher and narrowed his eyes. "Talking, I guess." He shrugged. "By now she should have kicked his ass."

"Maybe she's trying to reason with him." Reed turned his head. "Uh oh."

"I officially hate when you say th—Woooaaaaahhhh!" The giant monster had recovered from the blow and turned to grab Johnny and started squeezing him hard. Johnny concentrated and tried to burn his hand but only managed to make his scales sizzle a bit. Reed immediately wrapped around its wrist and tried to pry its fingers open to free his teammate but he wasn't strong enough.

"Awright, ya piece of garbage, it's round two!" Ben lunged at the creature and landed a few solid punches on its face.

"Doctor Elder...I'm trying to reason with you." Sue said calmly as she conjured a forcefield around her. The monsters started to pound on it to break it. She trusted on its strength but she was getting so tired and the sight of the monster waking up and grabbing her brother wasn't helping. "Please, be better than this! You're not the monster that the world is convinced you are. And neither are your subjects."

"You really...Think that?"

"Look at us, Doctor Elder. I'm an invisible girl, my brother turns into fire, Reed is elastic and Ben is a giant made of rocks. I think that the world can be ready for you." Sue took a deep breath and lowered her force field. Doctor Elder raised his hand to stop the monsters to overwhelm Sue. The woman offered the would-be conqueror her hand. "Please, Doctor...Come with us. You are brave enough for that."

With that, Doctor Elder let go of his scepter and grabbed Sue's hands, a small tear crossing his smile.

Meanwhile, Johnny had found out that his flames were hot enough to burn through an ancient giant monster scales. What he didn't know was they don't like. Giganto screamed and threw away Johnny like a puppet. **"NOT AGAIN!"** he screamed as Reed turned into a giant net to catch him. The monster started his rampage again and he didn't care for anything in its path and before they knew, Giganto was about to crush Sue and Doctor Elder. The doctor raised his scepter and it emanated a red light that made his subjects hiss and shriek but the monster was still going, causing the yellow goblins to scatter in the streets. Sue threw her hands up in a futile attempt to defend herself and the doctor.

The woman closed her eyes and felt her head extremely light as she heard a loud thud.

Then, silence.

She dared to open her eyes again only to see Reed's face. "Looks like your force fields are much more powerful than we thought." He said with a proud smile.

Sue looked up and couldn't help but laugh in relief and for the utter madness in seeing a giant monster smooshed against her forcefield like an overgrown bug stuck to a windshield. She laughed and laughed again as she saw the monster trying to pitifully break her forcefield and even slobbered a little on it. She heard the sound of thunderous applause all around her and knew that the day was saved.

In that moment she guessed she would've made a fine superhero, all right.

Soon afterwards, the four were approached by a veritable army of journalists while Giganto was chilling out at Central Park. The fearsome monster was downright cowed and not a threat anymore. Even the fearsome warlord, The Mole Man, didn't look like one anymore but a quiet, unassuming man sitting on a bench.

"What will become of me now, Doctor Richards?"

"We could use a man of your talents, of course. With us, you'll find a platform to talk about your ideology and discoveries. Maybe the Baxter Building won't be a 'monument to arrogance' if you're a part of it. Perhaps you can be the change you wish to see."

"Eh." Elder chuckled. "Maybe if you'd provide me a lab, possibly in your darkest basement, we'd be off to a good start."

Johnny put out his flames and grabbed a shirt or a pair of pants to at least look presentable for their interview. Of course, Johnny let the cutest journalist out there to let her interview them, a brunette, short-haired woman with a pleasant smile.

"Jillian Jones, Spotlight on New York. Can we steal five minutes of your time?"

"Even more than five, Jillian." Johnny drew a million dollar smile and drawing in return an eye roll from Reed and Sue. The woman turned towards her cameraman and signaled him to start.

"It seems like New York has just been saved by four incredible personalities but who are they? Where did they get their powers? Let's find out!"

Reed looked into the camera and to his surprise, he completely froze. He tried to stammer something out before Sue stepped forward to help him. "He's Doctor Reed Richards, I'm Susan Storm, this is my brother, Johnny—"

"John Storm! And if anyone's asking, yes: I'm single."

Jillian rolled her eyes with the rest of the team following right after that. "Rrrrright...And what about you, sir?" She pointed her microphone towards Ben. "What's your name?"

Ben couldn't help but look around and see that everyone around him, even if he had the metaphorical spotlight on him, was downright creeped out by his appearance. That moment he realized what he was and how most people, maybe all people, would see him from then on. "I'm a...Thing."

"Um...What?"

"He's Ben Grimm! He's The Thing! It's a codename!" Johnny interjected. "We all have one!"

"Excuse me?" Reed asked.

Sue pulled him over. "Just roll with it. I don't know either."

"Good old Ben Grimm! _The Ever-Loving Blue-Eyed Thing_ , for friends and close acquaintances." Ben cracked a smile. He liked the sound of that. "My sister here is The Invisible Girl!"

"Woman!" She didn't know what got into her but after stopping a giant monster on its track she felt she deserved some respect.

"Er, yeah, _The Invisible Woman_. I'm _The Human Torch_ and our intrepid leader here is _Mr. Fantastic_!"

"All right, Mr Fantastic!" The woman placed her mic in front of Reed who stepped forward and despite the apparent nervousness tried to look his best. "So, who are you guys? A superhero team? Like the Invaders?"

"It would be more accurate to think of us as explorers, scientists and adventurers. And superheroes when necessary. We received our powers in a fortuitous incident and we stepped up when the city needed us."

"Modest and brave, our Mr. Fantastic! And does your team have a name?"

"Well, I never thought about—"

"The Fantastic Four, of course!" Johnny intervened once again. "No need no more!"

Personally, Reed would've liked to call themselves The Challengers of the Unknown but he liked the sound of that. "Fantastic Four it is." He whispered.

* * *

"I can say you're a man that gets results, Doctor Richards." General Ross was pacing back and forth, trying to study the new super team with skeptic eyes. "I can't say that I approve you guys going off without any kind of authorization." He shot a glare to Alyssa who simply smirked in defiance. "And that maniac living in your basement? Not a fan."

"I assure you he's harmless, General." Reed said as he adjusted his glasses. He had found out earlier that he could simply adjust his eyesight with his new powers any time he wanted but he insisted on keeping them sometimes. They gave him a distinguished look. "Doctor Elder's researches can help us figure out more about the world we live in before we can find others."

"Yes, well, that experiment of yours was something. Perhaps you can be trusted. After beating that monster there was nothing to stop you from going to Canada or some other place." He glanced out of the window and was pleased like the rest of them that New York was still standing.

"We just did only what anyone else would've done. We have a responsibility. There's a whole new dimension to explore and I made a promise to my teammates that I would not stop until I unveiled its secrets." Reed turned to look at his teammates but still couldn't look at Ben without feeling shame. Still, he was a man of science and he wouldn't have stopped until he found a cure. Ever. That was the only the beginning.

"And what about the kid?" Ross pointed at Johnny, who looked behind him only to realize that yes, he was the kid.

"This 'kid' will do great things, General." Sue said. "He's got powers and an incredibly brave heart—"

"Awwww, sis, I don't know what to say—"

"But he needs to use them responsibly and as his tutor I will take care of that. I promise I'll keep an eye on him."

"Yeah, my fault for expecting something else."

"And I trust Major Grimm to keep an eye on the rest of ya, at least." Ross and Ben exchanged a salute once more. "Still, me and the big guys in Washington agreed that you're a little understaffed at the moment, so we thought you could use some help."

A man and a woman came out of the elevator. She was a very dignified and serious woman who wore her brown hair in an ordered ponytail. The man looked much more easy going and wore long blonde hair and a full beard. He swaggered out of the doors with a pleasant smile on his face.

"I'm Doctor Donald Blake and this is my wife, Doctor Jane Foster. It's a pleasure to meet you a—" He then realized that while he had rehearsed the speech pretty well, he didn't think about where he had to stop and so the man was offering a handshake to thin air. "Oh."

"For what matters, I thought you were doing pretty well, honey." Jane said as she patted in a detached way her husband's back.

"It's a pleasure to have you both on board." Reed stretched out his hand to shake Doctor Blake's. He looked down and he looked like his jaw was going to drop.

After the General left and they had the time to show the doctors their equipment, Sue was back again looking outside that window she thankfully didn't smash with her powers. Reed walked to her side and the two stayed for a few minutes just staring at the city they helped to save, without saying a word. There was some sort of intimacy in their silence together. There was a lot of they could've said to each other but they had spent together that absurdly important day and there was nothing else they could add. Each of them could've said of how much proud they were.

Each of them could've offered apologies of some kind.

Or asked what to do next.

Until Reed found something to say that none of them had thought until that moment. "I...I'm sorry I couldn't show you the universe the way I wanted."

"You showed me another one, though. I think it means something."

"You're...Regretting following me in this?"

Sue took one step closer to Reed. "I don't want to be anywhere else." She leaned her head against his shoudler and they silently kept their watch, wondering where they would go next.

* * *

That night, the man entering the office of one of the richest men of America knew that what he held in his briefcase was worth much more than money.

What they get ahold of was power in its purest form.

Both men knew power when they saw it and they both appreciated it. When both of them heard of that silly little group of would-be saviours, they knew they were the only ones to realize what their existence and that experiment truly meant.

The world was changing and when the man looked at the door of his boss' office, he knew that both of them changed with it.

He knocked three times and then opened. The office was even more opulent than the last time he saw it: Its glass walls were designed to flood the interiors with natural light and created an eerie atmosphere when the lights of the city had to suffice.

"I trust that you have it?" The boss was standing with his back turned, looking outside. He could see all of New York from out there. Just as he liked.

"Yes. It wasn't easy to obtain but here it is." He held up the briefcase. "Fifteen samples of the Nevada soil. Taken directly from the site of Richards' experiment."

The other man didn't turn but he could see his reflection and he flashed a wicked smile framed by his sharp cheekbones. "Excellent, Philip. I believe that we can do even greater things now. Leave the briefcase here. You won't be contacted until further notice." He pointed at his side still looking at the city and the man left the briefcase where he was instructed to.

"How's your daughter, Philip?" The man asked and his heart skipped a few beats.

"She's fine, sir." He tried to keep calm and just smoothened his tie. That's what his boss valued: Strength in dignity. Mostly strength.

"Good, good...What we're about to do could help her as well, Philip. Don't forget that. The OZ project is off to a great start thanks to you. You can go now."

"Good night, Mr. Osborn."

Philip closed the door behind him and let out a sigh of relief. As he entered the elevator he started giggling until it turned in a sinister laughter.

He got away with it.

It was true that Osborn understood the value of what they've come into possession.

Emphasis on _they._

"Great things, indeed, Mr. Osborn." The man reached for his pocket and took a small clay doll. It began to dance as it stood on the palm of his hand. "Great things, indeed."


	3. The First Family 03

If there was something he hated about his life was the horrible sensation of being destined for greater things.

The man was squatting in an alley, trying to get himself warmer by wrapping up a sheet of cardboard around him and he wondered where he went wrong. He did that as a reflex: He didn't even remember the last time he was cold.

That dissatisfaction was a sentiment shared by the voiceless and nameless bunch with which he shared the streets. It wasn't unusual for their sort, he reasoned, as he got up from his horrible resting place and started going for a walk.

A thought went to a pair of homeless he spotted, huddle together in the wreck of a car. As long as he could remember (Which wasn't that much), he shared those streets with them, the same joys and sorrows. However, while those men had dreams of seeing their family again like Jonas who lost them for his addiction, or getting back at his boss like Kevin for firing him for what he called a "reasonable mistake," the man had something unusual going on.

That particular man dreamed of much bigger things.

A smile lit up his face as something stirred in his heart only for it to be flattened by the sheer sneer of a passerby. Usually, the New Yorkers didn't spare a glance to him and the other invisible crowd, but it happened. If someone dared to do that to him in the old days, he would've had…!

For chance or fate, his wandering brought him in sight of the ocean and stopped his rage on its tracks. He always felt drawn by the New York harbor and for the first time realized that his wanderings never brought him much far from there. He closed his eyes and took a whiff of the salty air and let himself be soothed by the sound of waves. Away from the maze of rock and iron that was his home. _Home._ He was so far away from home.

Suddenly, he had a flash of remembrance: Like he had been there to see them, golden spires and coral cities and tentacles pet were before him. The man took a moment to bask into that distant, unknown memory and he dreamed of stolen kisses under the shadows of awesome leviathans and glorious battles.

He saw an aquatic prince and a man wreathed in flames squaring off and then becoming sworn allies to defeat a shadow threatening land and sea. An enemy so fearsome that he was willing to stand with the surface world, and fight with the best of them.

Then, he saw an actual relic from his past coming to life on a skyscraper-sized screen.

"...And it looks like one hero of old has returned! One week ago, the team of adventures called 'The Fantastic Four' stopped a giant monster that threatened New York. One of the fours looks very similar to the hero Jim Hammond, the previous Human Torch…When asked about this marvelous coincidence and if he was making a tribute to Hammond, John Storm answer was..."

 _I guess?_

"There it is...There it is!" The man laughed for the first time in years. There was a newfound light in his eyes as he watched that figure wreathed in flames, dancing the glorious dance of war. "I fought a man made of fire! But now he lives again! _I_ live again!" He squeezed his fists together with newfound strength. His heart was beating and fire coursed through his veins.

"Ok, old man...You know how this goes…" A voice followed by a cruel chuckle interrupted the man's rebirth. He turned around to see a pair of vulgar thugs threatening an old man. It was a common recurrence: Weak people take their frustration on those that are weaker than them. He didn't recall his name, but he had been kind to the man once. He shared a blanket with him one winter despite his lack of discomfort. He appreciated that gesture, and his honor, now restored, _demanded_ he took action.

"Listen, Macin. You know how it goes…" One thug turned towards him. He had dark skin and a sleepy exterior. He treated the whole thing taking a stroll.

The man was fuming in anger at the arrogance, his chest heaving, and his fists shaking. The drums of battle were echoing in his head. He imagined at least a thousand ways to make the man into a splatter of blood on the ground. "My name...Is not Macin, ape…" He walked toward the thug, _daring_ him to make his move.

The thug was annoyed by that remark and swung his knife at the man, with the same callousness one would've had to swat a fly. What he didn't expect was the man shattering the blade with a strike of his backhand.

"Huh...Turk.." The other hoodlum uttered as he felt his legs turn into jelly at the sight. He let go of the old man who took his chance to bolt out of that situation.

As he watched them quake in fear, he felt like himself again. He felt that that was his place. The hole in his heart finally filled with a lust for war.

"My name is **NAMOR!"**

* * *

"Just one question, J...I Guess?"

Johnny frowned. "Look, babe, sometimes you tell them what they want to hear. It's how the media works! But let's not talk about me. There will be plenty of time for that, later. Do you like the view?"

The girl looked down, her feet dangling from the glorious 111 feet of Lady Liberty. "It's a bit...Windy?" She tried to keep her brown air in place but gave up on that when a cold gust of wind messed it further. The girl started shivering and hugged her shoulders until Johnny gently placed his shirt on her. "Thanks, J."

"My pleasure, Z. So...I told you the view was worth it." Johnny flash a million dollar grin and even if it was a bit chilly up there (Even the Human Torch had his limits) it was worth it. Also, it was an excellent chance to show off his abs.

"Is this going to be a regular thing, ?"

"I don't know. You _want_ it to be regular?"

The two leaned towards each other. He slightly parted his lips. The girl closed her eyes and let herself go with the flow.

"HEY, MATCHSTICK!" Johnny flinched when the Fantasticar with Ben and Sue at the helm popped out of nowhere from below the statue. "I CAN SEE THAT YOU'RE BUSY!"

"Gaaah! Who is that?!" The girl jumped and covered her chest with Johnny's shirt before realizing she wasn't actually naked.

"That's my sister and my sort of crazy uncle made of rocks."

"And yer crazy uncle made of rocks is here to tell you that it's time for our physical!"

"Oh, right...That physical. The one I wasn't avoiding on purpose."

Sue shot him a glare. The usual angry older sister glare. Since she got her powers, it was even more effective.

"Mornin', miss."

"GOOD MORNING TO YOU!" She screamed while still clutching. Ben wasn't sure if it was excitement or horror. Probably a little bit of both.

"Of course you were here…" Sue pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed loudly. "Who is she? Zoey or Zanna or Zayday? I can't keep track of them all."

"Who the hell is a Zayday?! Why the hell would you cheat on me with a Zayday?" The tiny girl was physically unable to contain that wrath and yet, in violation of a few laws of physics, she was positively fuming.

"Geez, look at the time! I have to go and get physical! Let's get physical, Ben!" He quickly hightailed on the ship, leaving a small trail on fire and some burned clothes as he rolled on the bridge. "Bye...Uh…"

"It's Zoey!"

Ben's entire body recoiled at Johnny's involuntary quote. "I'll pretend you don't know who Olivia Newton-John is."

"Who?"

"Exactly, kid."

Sue casually leaned back from the car, sporting a sweet, almost motherly, smile. "You want a lift on the way down, Zoey?"

She looked down and realized that the Statue of Liberty was pretty tall. **"AS LONG AS I MAKE THE TRIP DOWN REALLY AWKWARD FOR HIM!"** Zoey roared.

"The floor is yours." Sue didn't turn around but could _feel_ the look of terror and annoyance on his brother's face.

* * *

"Please...Have mercy…"

"Are we making demands now?" Namor raised the hoodlum by his collarbone, not even bothered by his weak kicks. "Let's make a deal, you ape. Atlantis."

"W-what?!" The hoodlum was gasping for air as he looked at his associate unconscious on the ground.

"Atlantis, you mongrel! Did I stutter? What have you done to it? What is it of my kingdom? Speak, or your pain shall be tenfold of what is it now!"

"Hey, pal." Namor turned to see a portly tourist with a Hawaiian shirt. His family was wearing similar outfits and, for a refreshing change, they were coherent and unafraid of him, despite being moments away from making the thug suffer. "If you're looking for Atlantis it's a few blocks away."

"Is it?" Namor dropped the hoodlum like a rock, who merely ran away, not even checking for his partner.

"Yeah. It's right over there." The man pointed east, and Namor saw something indeed: A garish banner sporting "Treasures of Atlantis Exhibit." At first, he thought it was a joke, but it was worth to try, at least. "You're reasonable for an ape. Take your family and go. You will be spared, for now."

"Uh...Thanks?"

Namor proceeded to remove his filthy clothes right in the middle of the street, and the tourist quickly covered his young daughter's eyes.

"Daddy, what is he doing?"

"I'll tell you when you're older."

* * *

"Just one question: I guess?" Ben chuckled as he turned off the TV screen. "That's one for ta history books!"

"I panicked, ok!? I had no idea there was already a Human Torch!"

"But this one _is_ on the history books!" Sue barged in on the communicator. "The Invaders were instrumental in defeating the Third Reich! Don't you know history?"

"Yeah, but I didn't expect to get the exact same powers of an old android." He said as he paced up and down the containment chamber. He flexed his arms. Still, a bit wrung out by the newly made spandex suit. "'Sides, everyone knows that Captain America and Namor were the cool ones."

"Jim Hammond wasn't an android." Said Don Blake while checking on Johnny's dossier. "The term is synthezoid, to be precise. It's a fascinating form of life, containing analogs to virtually all human organs, brains, blood, and tissue." "And he was the _coolest_ , thank you very much."

"Truly a shame that the original schematics are lost to time." Reed descended from the ceiling, having finished to check one last time the containment chamber."Imagine, artificial organs mass produced for transplants! We could do some much good!"

"Exactly! You know, I wrote my dissertation about their possible uses. I named that procedure 'Idunn Treatment,' you know. As a jest. A small homage, we might say." Don was carrying some papers and a small, worn out book slipped from the stack. Jane picked it up for him, rolling her eyes at that. It was titled "Norse Mythology for Beginners."

"I..." Reed chuckled. "I can see why would you choose that name."

"The Norse Goddess of Fertility and Life. You know, I'm kind of a fan. They remind me of home. My father was Norwegian, you know?"

"Can't believe it." Ben shook his head. "Now we got two nerds" He took a glance towards a stern looking Jane, looking at the data with her arms crossed. "No offense."

"None taken." She replied dryly. "Right now I'm more worried about the test results."

Sue stayed there in silence, unfolding the scene.

"Is it as we suspected, Doctor Foster?" Reed stretched his neck to look better at the screen. Ben swore he'd never get used to it.

"Yes and no. You're not dying. Some details of your biology still elude us, though." She touched the screen, conjuring holographic projections of the Ben, Reed, and Johnny. "We will need to do more tests if we want to at least get an idea of the long-term effects of your transformation. Johnny's power emulates a nuclear reactor, using his body as a source of energy. What worries me is how his hypermetabolism might do to him in the long run. The group threw a concerned glance at Johnny in the containment chamber, looking at the boy flying around happily in a circle. Reed noticed that Don had turned off the chamber's communicator. He was just a boy: He didn't have to worry about it. Not yet. "Ben one day might calcify himself and turn into a statue or perhaps not."

"I'd still have my smile." Ben flashed an awkward grin. No one laughed.

"Kinda reminds me of those 'rock men' they spotted in Norway a few weeks ago." Don chuckled. "Boy, they said they were aliens, can you imagine that?"

"That's classified information, honey."

"Ehm...Of course, I do think it's ridiculous…"

Jane cleared her voice and continued. "...What worries me right now is your strength. You have the required mass not to be torn apart by it but the rest of the environment, well..."

"If yer talkin' about the hydraulic press I'm sorry…But it started it!"

"Luckily, Doctor Richards built a limiter in your suit. You can adjust its settings through your belt."

"Not to mention blue goes well with my complexion."

"Reed's biology, though, it's the one I'm most concerned about. Pliable bacterial stacks have replaced your cells." The hologram showed his internal anatomy, except that in place of his organs there was a gigantic membrane. "It shifts and moves with your body and explains why your limbs don't go numb as the blood tries to reach them as you stretch."

"I think we will have to think about it when it becomes a problem."

"It's not like that you guys are prone of acting on your own and fight giant monsters, further straining you're already dangerous alliance with an aloof government that fears you more than respects you."

Ben blinked. " Did Jane just made a joke?!"

"I know. She always knows how to surprise you." Don planted a quick kiss on his wife's cheek, leaving the scientists momentarily flabbergasted. She blushed and quickly adjusted her glasses. "And then, there's Sue who has refused her physical. It's her right, of course. Still, I would've liked to verify how can she while turning invisible. I mean, don't her retinas become invisible as well?"

"An an engineer, it offends me on a personal level." Sue crossed her arms and pouted. Reed always found that expression particularly endearing. He didn't even realize about the relaxed smile on his face.

"But it's useful, is it?" Reed said.

"Oh, you have no idea."

"And yet, your most incredible power is definitely the force field. If only you could learn the limits of it, it could make an incredible weapon."

"Why does it have to be a weapon?" Sue's tone grew remarkably cold.

"Well...I'm basing this on our recorded data. You have to admit it is pretty useful for stopping giant monsters and-"

"Yes. I just stopped the monsters. I didn't want to hurt anyone. I did that to save you and all those people. Is this how it's gonna be? Just us fighting one crazy threat after the other?"

"You have to admit that this world has changed. We do need to fight these threats whenever they present themselves. If not us, who will?"

 _Emergency. Code Red._ The automated threat response made its presence felt with a pre-recorded message.

"Oh, great! Just when we were havin' fun." Ben cracked his knuckles and headed to the Fantasticar. He was kind of grateful for whatever crazy threat was about to manifest for defusing that awkward moment.

As everyone left the room, ready to face the latest menace, Johnny started tapping on the glass of the containment chamber.

"It's not cool, guys! You left me here!"

* * *

"It cannot be!" The man wandered in the museum exhibit, and a mixture of anger and sorrow hardened his heart. He looked around only to see the remains of the once great civilization of Atlantis put into glass caskets for the apes to point and laugh at them.

"The horn of Proteus, the trumpet of Glaucus...You! Ape!" Namor lunged at a nearby guard and lifted him by the neck. "Speak, inferior! Where did you plunder our treasures?!" One exhibit-goer screamed at the top of her lungs as she saw the practically naked muscle man assaulting the guard. "Who is responsible for this...This atrocity?!"

"I...I don't know, man! They were donated by an anonymous person!" Namor raised one fist, and the man squealed, comically kicking his feet back and forth as he gasped for air. "Latveria! They come from Latveria! That's what they said!"

"Latveria…" Namor was so shocked at that name that he left the man fall on the floor, who promptly hightailed out while searching for his phone, his sloppy finger dialing 911 as he stormed out. "I haven't heard that name in a while…" Namor recalled it was a small European country, ruled with an iron fist by a cruel and stupid dynasty of barons. Was the country still standing long after the war?

If so, it was time for it to fall. Namor's people claimed for vengeance.

They deserved better than being reduced to mere myths, fairy tales for the simple, their treasures paraded for the amusement of the air breathers. "Latveria has to fall." He proclaimed and under the eyes of the terrified crowd, he proceeded to tear up the banner of the exhibit. As he walked away, one group of terrified tourists hid from him behind an ancient shield of some sort, their heads poking timidly from behind the relic.

He glared at them and proceeded to smash the glass holding the horn. He cared not for the shrill cacophony he unleashed and claimed what was rightfully his. He looked at an inscription in Ancient Lemurian on the horn: It said "Leviathan."

"But first, you have partaken in the humiliation of my people. Punishment is in order," he smirked as he looked at the horn and wondered just how many of his subjects were eager to serve their king...The most formidable one may have still been at large.

He stepped outside, still wearing that same proud smirk as their so-called lawmen pointed their weapons at him, the horn firmly in his grasp. With some amusement, he realized that his naked body swept some unease unto them. It was a good thing: It would make them lower their guard.

"Ok, pal! Put your hands up and surrender!"

Their hands were trembling as they pointed their puny weapons at him.

Namor's hands weren't. "I'll do the first one." He raised one fist and crashed it on the ground, creating a shockwave that sent the men and their cars flying. As they squealed like pufferfishes before his might, he realized that the surface world hadn't changed that much: Still tacky and arrogant. They needed to be put at their rightful place.

With that, he reached the waterfront again and checked if his powers were still there. He clenched his fists and raised his arms, and just like that, an enormous column of water slithered out to the ground, enveloping his winged feet and then lifting him on the ground. He looked at the people crawling like krill and sneered again as he finally blew the horn.

It blared like it was yesterday and for a few seconds, he was back home. It wasn't just a normal sound: It was magic more ancient than he was. It was one specific geas with which, no matter where the intended listener was, he would be ready to serve his king.

For good measure, he tooted the horn a second time. That was when a bullet of pure fire nearly grazed his face. "Who dares?!" He yelled as he grasped one carbonized strand of air.

He looked up to see a strange white flying contraption hovering above him and a man wreathed in flames coming out of it. Could it be?

"Ok, pal, put that thing down and put your hands in the air!" His voice echoed as he balled his hands, preparing another fireball to fire at him.

"Is this a recurring theme with you airbreathers?"

"Woah...Holy crap...When they said, it was a crazy naked guy I wasn't expecting it to be _the_ crazy naked guy. I thought you disappeared after the War!"

Namor raised an eyebrow as his expectations about the Torch plummeted significantly.

"Johnny, what did we say about angering crazy naked guys?!" Namor heard a rough voice coming from above. More like the bleating of an anglerfish.

"Don't do that?"

"Bingo."

"I know, but are you Namor, the Submariner?! Man, we were just talking about you, how crazy is that? I used to love your comic books. I mean, some guys that we shall leave unmentioned think Captain America is cooler, but I always thought that yours-"

His words became more and more garbled noise as Namor focused much more on his mannerisms and voice. Namor quickly realized that the one in front of him wasn't Jim Hammond, but just a boy. "Just a boy," he repeated to himself, and he averted his gaze from the wannabe Torch, who looked clearly offended at that. His disappointment was palpable.

Namor lifted his column further and gave a closer look at the strange quartet confronting him. All of them were wearing bright blue uniforms with the number four emblazoned on their chest. At the helm, he saw a vulgar creature made of rocks, a gangly looking man wearing glasses and looking at a peculiar contraption and then he saw...Her.

The most beautiful creature he saw in land and sea.

"Finally something worth to see." He extended his hand towards the gorgeous woman, even making the smallest of bows to invite her to get closer. "Tell me, fascinating creature...Are you the Torch's mate?"

"Ew." Said Johnny.

"N-no…" Sue turned towards Reed, pointing the finger at herself. Reed nodded as if confirming that, yes, that man was talking to her and her alone, barely acknowledging the rest of the Four. "I'm his sister. Susan Storm."

Also, yes: She was staring at his abs. There was some sort of animal magnetism coming from him. This man was arrogant and causing trouble, but he had an inner nobility despite his barbarian actions. He radiated charisma, and his eyes had a sad, weary light in them. It was the combination of sheer strength and the fog of the ages. From his reputation, she knew this was a man ancient and powerful. An enigma. A literal relic, living, and breathing in front of them.

"Ah. Then I guess there's still some hope from him if you are his kinsman, dear Susan. I am Namor. King of Atlantis."

"Hey!"

"It's...My pleasure." Namor grasped Sue's hand to kiss it.

Reed cleared his voice and extended his hand, trying to solve the thing with diplomacy. Namor looked at him like he was some bug, physically recoiling at his sight. Reed decided to stay calm, pushing at the back of his head the fact that, yes, he was flirting with Sue right in front of him. "I'm Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four, and we come in peace. Whatever the problem is, I'm sure we can resolve this matt-"

"Resolve? Of course, we can resolve this matter." Namor gently let go of Sue's hand and cracked his knuckles. "With your blood."

"Hey!" Johnny stepped up, finally tired of being ignored. He flew next to the arrogant superhuman and pointed one finger at his chest. "Reed here is trying to be reasonable and-"

"And I'm not!" Namor grabbed Johnny's hand, completely unbothered by the what surrounding his body. "The time to talk is over! You people have plundered Atlantis! My world! My people!" He started squeezing at Johnny's wrist, causing him to suppress a small squirm of pain. He then tackled Johnny, and the boy felt like a mammoth riding a truck had just passed on his chest. The Atlantean tightened his grip around his chest as he soared in the air. **"PARADED LIKE TROPHIES! FOR THE AMUSEMENT OF YOUR CHILDREN! THIS TRAVESTY SHALL NOT GO UNPUNISHED!** "

The others watched in horror as Namor was about to plummet the both of them underwater. Before the aquatic king crashed Johnny onto the water's surface, Sue instinctively enveloped the both of them in an invisible force field.

"A bubble? Is this some kind of joke?!" He said as he grabbed Johnny's neck.

"Heh…" The Human Torch smirked, his body only partially enveloped in flames as he tried to suck in some air. Namor's grip could've crushed steel if he wanted to. "You wanna hear a real joke? Knock, knock."

"What are you blabbering-"

"Man, you suck at this. **FLAME ON!"**

With that, Johnny finally let loose his power. The interior of the bubble turned into a small star. It was so bright the others had to darken the Fantasticar's glasses with a clock of a button to not get blinded by Johnn's attack. The heat was so extreme the water below them was bubbling and sizzling. The car's readings were off the scale, and Sue started to bang on the glass, futilely trying to signal Johnny to stop. He couldn't hear her as he went on for his attack for a few more, agonizing seconds. Ben squeezed the handle harder, fighting with every fiber of his being to run there and help Johnny, small supernova be damned. Sue felt a striking pain in her skull and felt a small trickle of blood gushing from her nose, trying to keep up her forcefield. Reed held Sue's hand as the ball of fire started to shrink, finally revealing a couple of silhouettes inside the bubble. Her knees finally gave out, and the force field disappeared, letting out a large column of steam.

As the mist dissipated, Namor was still standing, looking no worse for wear. For all his efforts, Johnny managed only to burn away his beard. Meanwhile, the Human Torch looked completely and utterly drained. With that stunt, he had consumed a week worth of calories. His lips were dried, and he barely could keep his eyes open. He tried to struggle weakly and free himself from Namor, but his arms and then legs went limp.

"Impressive." The King muttered. "You may have some potential one day." He let Johnny go, and his body sank like a brick. The boy had long passed out and the ocean was slowly swallowing him.

"Johnny!" Sue screamed his anguish, gathering what was left of her strength.

"YOU'RE GOING DOWN, YOU FREAK!" Ben leaped out of their vehicle and aimed right at the Atlantean.

"Ben, don't-" Reed tried to hold him but his stretched out hand missed him by an inch. Before anyone knew, The Thing had grabbed the Sub-Mariner by the neck and started pummeling at him, each strike capable of shattering a mountain. Namor barely had time to register and took the first flurry of punches on the chin. He finally managed to parry one blow and started squeezing Ben's rocky fist, twisting it out of his face.

"My turn…"

He plunged himself underwater bringing Ben with him.

Reed frantically activated the scanner on the Fantasticar to rescue Johnny. Sue prepared a force field to fish him out of the water literally.

"Well, will ya look at that…" Ben said, or at least tried to when he realized he could breathe underwater. It was kinda apparent once one realized a giant rock monster didn't need to breathe. Namor, too, was quite impressed at that sight. Impressed enough to let his guard down and allow Ben to land a headbutt on his nose. Namor let Ben go as he gushed blood and the Thing lunged forward, slamming with both fists on his back, sending the Atlantean crashing on the ocean's floor. He left his weight do the work and Ben landed right next to his bloodied and wounded opponent. He waited for him to get up and ready himself for another round when the Atlantean wiped the blood from his face...And he smirked.

Ben blinked and Namor was right in front of him, landing a devastating fist right between his ribs. He had never felt a burning, pure pain like that ever since his transformation. His knees started to give out, but Namor disappeared from sight again, only to land a hit at a completely different angle. Ben tried to swing his arms and hope, but the man was even faster than he was on land. His punches landed on a blur, allowing the real Namor to strike and then move out of his sight, again and again, and again. Namor moved like a torpedo underwater and twice as painful. Ben cursed his naivete when he let a guy that was called the Sub-mariner back into the water. Whenever he turned his back, Namor punched a kidney. When he faced the front, Namor flattened him with a kick with both legs only to disappear again and repeat the cycle. Ben knew how to take a beating; However, he soon realized his opponent was trying to wear him out. And by wearing him out, he meant by completely demolishing him. He swore he was losing chunks of his rocky skin. He felt pain: He didn't feel that in a while.

He had to fight smarter _and_ harder. if he wanted to survive.

With that, he turned the limiter off and feigned, waiting for another one of Namor's devastating punches.

The Sub-Mariner stood there, arms crossed and smirking. He then prepared a completely telegraphed punch aimed right at his chin. Before it landed, Ben punched his face in with all he got and Sub-Mariner finally flinched. The impact was such the ocean floor started trembling, scaring banks of fishes to flee in terror and making anomalous waves rise. Namor took that as a challenge, but Ben parried that and landed a powerful and humiliating backhand strike, knocking him on the ground.

Namor roared and sprung back on his feet, throwing a punch of his own landing on Ben's sternum. Ben's vision turned blurry but then settled to hit the Atlantean in the middle. It seemed to work because it soon turned into a slugfest, a test of endurance. Gone was the Sub-mariner previous finesse: He just wanted to make him pack for every punch. The very ocean trembled beneath the fury of their blows as they exchanged them faster and faster. Ben was getting winded, but he had a small comfort that, for the first time, his opponent was _panting_. Not just that, he saw the fury in his eyes, the same one a wounded and cornered animal would get. The kind of animal who also had a wounded pride: he brought on his A game, and he still got trapped in that contest. Sure, he could use his superior speed to get away, but his pride wouldn't allow him.

It was just a matter of who struck first...And who would do it _last_...

Sue compressed Johnny's chest, praying at each thrust until the boy finally woke up and coughed up some water.

"S-Sue! Did I…" He went in a coughing fit, grasping at his chest and trying to get off his tight costume. "Did I get him?"

"Yeah!" She couldn't help but cry tears of joy and stroke his hair gently. Sue couldn't dare to tell him that he tried his best and barely slowed him down. "Yeah, you hurt him pretty bad! Ben is down there to finish the job now."

"Oh, great...Just let me…" he tried to get up and get back into the fray, but Sue placed a hand on his chest, gently putting him back to rest. "I have to help him…"

"You did enough. We'll handle him now." Johnny calmed down and just laid on the ship's bridge.

"Huh, Sue…" Reed adjusted his glasses, looking at the horizon. "I don't think he's our only problem."

A huge, shining black, terrifying _thing_ was heading towards New York. It looked some unknown species of whale but much bulkier. Its bright black scales were darker than the night with several yellow eyes distributed like a halo over his head. Its roar in the distance echoed and carried the weight and power of centuries before. Not only that, it was _fast_ , hurrying at its master's call and ready to destroy whatever it stood before it. Reed reasoned it might have been a creature of the same genus of the creatures of Subterranea, but it wasn't the time for theorizing. He quickly switched on his communicator.

"Alyssa? Is Giganto ready?"

 _"Doctor Elder said we'd need a few more minutes to deploy him. Try to hang on."  
_

"I don't think we have a few more minutes. Tell him to hurry!"

" _It's-"_ All of a sudden a wave nearly hit the Fantasticar. The vehicle was dangerously leaning right and was seconds from overturning itself before Reed quickly grabbed the commands and stabilized it. "Dammit!" Reed muttered between his teeth as he tried to fiddle again with the connection. No response.

"Reed, I have an idea. Leave me on the pier."

"Will you be all right?" His hand wondered, trying and not daring to grasp hers. Sue leaned over and kissed him on the forehead.

"You know me." Reed smiled and complied, quickly bringing the three of them back at New York.

Once they reached it, Sue built a force field and tried to contain the waves before they crashed on the pier. She tried to keep up a funnel-shaped force field, trying to hold the waves and leave enough space for the evacuations effort. The shockwave felt like they impacted right inside her skull, but she soldiered on, hoping that Ben defeated their enemy as fast as he could.

All of a sudden, the waves stopped, and the ocean line fell into an eerie calm.

Something was thrown out of the ocean and crash-landed on a nearby street, forming a crater. An unconscious Ben was laying inside it. His rock skin was covered in cracks, and he was even missing a few teeth. A black, ichor like substance was now gushing from his wounds, and his chest imperceptibly heaved up and down, showing the faintest signs of life.

Namor emerged from the water, looking noticeably winded. His hair was messy, and he was covered in bruises from head to toe. He smiled through bloodied teeth. "That...THAT WAS A BATTLE!" The Sub-Mariner started laughing like a maniac as Reed hurried the Fantasticar to check Ben's vitals. He was weak, but still alive even if unconscious and having to expect the mother of all headaches. "OH, IT WAS WORTH IT! JUST FOR THIS! THE SURFACE WORLD STILL HAS SOMETHING WORTH SEEING!" Namor kept laughing, completely unaware of everyone's grief and pain. "AS TOUGH AS AN ASGARDIAN, I'D SAY! BE PROUD OF YOUR FRIEND, RICHARDS! NOT ANYONE COULD BOAST THAT!"

Sue had no time to worry about her friend because she instantly collapsed and the force field with her. The woman had fallen facefirst and stopped moving, her face covered by a thin trail of blood.

"You...Is this all a game to you…?" Reed's voice was trembling. His hands were shaking as he squeezed the Fantasticar's handle. Sensors were bleeping and chattering as he moved the vehicle closer to Namor. Johnny was still trying to get up, but he just managed to pull himself up, just in time to see his sister unconscious body.

"What are you blabbering about?"

"YOU MANIAC! THAT WAS MY FAMILY!" Reed jumped out of the car, stretching his entire body to resemble the coils of a snake, wrapping himself around Namor's neck. The Atlantean tried to repel him by crushing his chin. His hands found no bones to break.

"They fought me! They made their choice. And please, you're not a fighter, Richards! You're more of a scholar. Now be a good-" He didn't manage to finish that sentence as Reed wrapped himself around his face, squeezing it with surprising strength. He tried to breathe, but he managed to produce only a wordless scream as he felt his lungs being filled with spandex and anger.

"YOU LIKE IT?! YOU LIKE IT, YOU BASTARD?! IS _THIS_ A GOOD FIGHT?! CHOKE ON IT, THEN!" Namor tried to get off him, his hands weakly grasping at Reed's elastic physique. He managed to rip him out like a bandaid and throw him on the ground, his stretched body absorbing the impact of the fall.

This gave him an idea.

The Sub-mariner leaped down and tried to finish the fight with a lightning-fast punch, only to find his body sinking into a blue, sponge-like substance that kept expanding and flattening itself. Reed stretched his body so much he felt a biting pain in his joints. He bit his tongue: It was good. Reed thought of it as a test to its limits. That pain reminded him he was still a human.

"What trickery is this, Richards?!" Namor said as he pulled back his arm, only to unleash one more ineffective punch.

"It's not trickery. It's science!" before Namor managed to pull his arm out of Reed's belly, the scientist stretched his arm to reach a secret compartment in the Fantasticar. He grabbed a small cylinder surrounded by a white handguard and pointed it towards Namor.

"I'm giving you one chance," Reed growled and pointed the contraption at Namor. "One more chance to stop this and walk away."

"Do your worst...Scholar." He managed to fill that technically accurate definition with such venom that Reed's hand started trembling with rage. Part of him didn't want to surrender to his baser instincts. Another part of him wanted to wipe that smirk off his face and for all with extreme prejudice.

"Last...Chance...Namor." He turned the gadget on, making it produce a small humming sound.

Namor lunged at him.

Reed sighed and pulled the trigger.

The Sub-Mariner felt like a wall hit him. A wall he couldn't breach. The small contraption generated a sonic shockwave that launched him in the air and right into a wall, flattening him against its surface. That humming sound became a deafening roar, and it kept going as Richards was now squeezing the trigger, his eyes as cold as steel. Namor tried to free itself from that infernal torrent, but its sheer energy blocked him, not even allowing him to move his arms. It felt like being buried by rocks, pressing on his entire body. Richards didn't budge as his weapon was designed and focused on crushing him. The wall cracked under the pressure of his body on it. Glasses were breaking all around causing people to flee to avoid the debris.

And Leviathan's shadow was looming on both of them.

"Call the monster back!"

"You...Don't have the…"

Reed blasted him again. While he rationalized it as necessary to subdue him, he really wanted to hurt him just as he hurt them. Reed wanted him beaten and humiliated. He wanted him to feel what his enemies must've felt in decades of fighting.

Namor stood up again. Reed blasted him once more. This time, though, the Sub-Mariner wasn't willing to just lay down. This time he started walking, unflinching, towards Reed. He looked clearly in pain, and his nose and mouth were gushing blood, but he did not give up. Each one of his steps left an imprint in concrete. Reed set his weapon to his maximum setting, and even then Namor was not deterred. He kept marching on, determination burning in his eyes. Reed looked at the weapon's energy gauge and realized it was very nearly empty. Only enough for one last shot.

For what seemed like an eternity Namor's hand struggled like against the current to reach for Reed's weapon and snatch it from his hands, like with a disobedient child. The Atlantean let out a primordial scream and mustered all his strength as he lunged forward.

Reed heard a loud crack, but to his surprise, he was still standing.

Before Reed knew, his weapon was laying on the ground, crushed like a grape.

Reed sighed before wiping his glasses clean and looked his opponent in the eyes. "Impressive."

"Indeed."

Reed closed his eyes and accepted his fate as Namor was slowly raising his fist. One last thought passed his mind, hoping Namor would at least spare the others.

Until he heard a crunching _thud_ and noticed his head was still on his shoulders. He opened his eyes to see Namor on his belly, flattened by Sue's invisible force field. He could see its circular shape slowly crushing Namor's shoulder blades as he squirmed on the ground. It was like a thumb squashing an ant, drawing out the pain.

"Now…" Sue was back on her feet. She was barely standing but this time, judging from Namor's pained expression, it was enough for them. Her face was caked in blood, her eyes had a vacant stare, and she looked like she would pass out at any moment, but radiated the sheer menace of a wounded animal. Namor tried to free one arm and reach for any one of them, but Sue pushed him on the ground even harder. One rib cracked under the force field's weight. He quickly complied and was finally laying down.

"I..." Namor gasped for air, his strong fingers leaving a trail in the ground."I yield." He finally said, his forehead brushing against the ground.

"I said...Now...Call the monsters back…" She spat out every word with significant fatigue and presented, enveloped in a bubble, Namor's horn. The Atlantean smiled trough bloodied teeth and extended his hand towards the horn.

"As you wish…" He said softly before grasping the horn.

* * *

"So...This is what remains of Atlantis…" Namor looked at the screen, his hands grazing against the force field. He accepted to be "contained" as a temporary truce. He had to admit that the surface's world technology had significantly advanced since the war. Still not at the level of Atlantis, but there was no reason to let the air breathers know...Yet. His heart wasn't in the mood to gloat, though: He was mourning.

Where he remembered golden towers and palaces of coral stod only ruins and decay, Richards had employed one of his so-called "cameras" to explore the coordinates Namor had given him. It was a small kindness he probably wouldn't have allowed to his enemy were they in the same position.

"I am sorry," Reed said. Namor thought he sounded sincere. "It was your home, after all. It's the only thing that matters. What do you remember of it? I mean, the last time you saw it."

Namor pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to think. The flickering lights of the sickly green containment chamber were making it hard. A splitting headache he had gotten from the fight weren't helping, but a flash of remembrance occurred. "I remember...A battle, and pain, and steel being drawn. I don't know how much time passed after the war: I had business to attend. I had to take back my Throne." Namor flashed a proud smile at Sue. "And I was gloriously successful I might add."

Sue just crossed her arms, her face never betraying any emotion.

"What followed was the most brutal assault my people had ever faced. I remember I was wounded and left for dead. There were leviathans made of iron. There were men made of metal and lightning...Yes, I remember something amidst all of this. A mask."

"A mask you say?"

"Yes. A mask like the one an armor would sport. And only one word associated with it. An appropriate one for the circumstance. **DOOM."**

Reed nearly fainted when he heard that. He held his chest and looked at the floor, his breathing heavy and a sense of unspeakable sorrow in his eyes.

"Reed?" Sue hurried to his side.

"It can't be...Why? Why would he...Could it be Victor?!"

"You know that name?" Namor leaned closer, looking at his captor right in the eyes. Reed immediately regained his composure and looked back at him, sporting that same determination he had when the two faced each other in battle. Perhaps there was some hope for him, as well.

"There is a high probability of that, yes."

"You know I will get out of this prison, right?"

Reed adjusted his glasses. "Of course, I know. That is why I'll let you go."

For the first time, Namor was speechless in front of him.

"You know that Johnny and Ben are not going to be happy about it, right?"

"I know. However, I'll explain them my reasons."

"Which are?" Namor placed his palms on the force field and leaned closer, expecting an answer.

"To find out the truth. To reveal what happened to Atlantis and to see if my suspicion is correct. And of course, to have you owe me a favor."

"True. Dear Susan could've finished me a thousand times over, back in town. So be it." Namor crossed his arms. "You are a bold man to ask a favor to the King of Atlantis, but I'll give credit where is due. When the time comes, the enemy of Atlantis will pay. We'll meet again, Richards."

"I hope so." Reed turned his back and left the room. "I need some time to think." Sue couldn't help but feel that something greater than that was haunting him. "In the meantime, we'll have to negotiate it. General Ross will want to talk to you about that little tantrum you threw."

Namor chuckled a bit as he waited for Reed to be gone. "I can understand it."

Sue turned towards her captive. "Excuse me?"

"Why you feel...Obligated to him. He's an interesting man. A brilliant mind, to be sure. And a fearsome warrior if he must, but you could have so much better."

"You're talking about yourself, right?"

"Who else? You wanted me back there, Dear Susan, don't deny it. You and I could make the world quake in fear." If Namor had been trying subtlety before, that was the time he completely abandoned it. Susan couldn't get her eyes off his naked, herculean form. Her hand was slowly rising to meet his palm, still resting on the inside of the forcefield. His smile met hers.

"Namor, you're handsome, but you're a pig." She chuckled. Namor's smirk wore off.

He tried to open his mouth and snap something back at her, but he was impressed by her candor. He could accept that from a woman as powerful as her.

"Reed may be aloof and distant and whatever else they may come up with, and he may have a darker side I don't know about. He may be too brilliant for his own good, but his heart is in the right place. I'm not going to leave him for that. And my heart wants him, ever since we were children."

"Then why are you not telling this to him?"

Sue stopped, and her eyes darted between the door and handsome Atlantean trapped in a force field. "You're right." She said softly and walked out of the room.

Namor was left alone with just the buzzing of the force field to keep him company.

"Well, she showed me, all right."

Deep down, Namor knew it was going to be interesting, after all...

Another door opened, from which a man in a uniform came. He had white hair and sporting a whiter than Snow mustache. There was still steel in his gaze. Without a word, he grabbed a chair and sat in front of Namor, never once averting his eyes from him. "Let's negotiate, then." He said, crossing his arms. "Had it been me, I would've put a bullet between your eyes for what you pulled off. But Richards said you were the Sub-Mariner. I suppose I'll have to tell you that as much as I hate your guts, you have my respect."

"Someone is speaking my language."

"Some of the bigwigs in Washington are very interested in you. And as much as I hate to admit it, someone even higher than me does as well." The man produced a card from his pocket. Namor squinted to take a better look at it. The card was sporting the insignia of a bird of prey emblazoned on a shield.

 **"** Reed?" Sue carefully tiptoed into the lab, enveloped in an eerie silence. "Are you still in here?"

A figure sitting on a revolving chair turned towards her. He looked like Reed, sure, but he had a grotesquely enlarged cranium and was deep in thought. "Oh...Sue." The figure spoke.

"Is it going to be permanent?"

"I was just testing if a temporary enlargement of my cerebrum would increase my mental capacities."

"And is it working?"

"Partially." Reed's cranium slowly deflated and returned to normal. "I was trying to rationalize what I did. It made me realize that what I did was irrational and hateful and I'm truly, _truly_ sorry you had to see me like that..." He held his face between his hands, lowering his gaze not to meet Sue's gaze. She stayed there in silence, listening to him. "It's just that when I saw the three of you hurt I...I didn't know what to do. I hated him so much for what he did to you. I wanted him to pay."

"And I guess you had that weapon ready."

"I had. Don't get me wrong: I'm not going to be Ross' lackey. I created that just to protect us."

"And we'll do that. Together, though." She pulled him into a tight embrace. Reed was left speechless as he hugged her back, his hands tentatively pulling her close. "Next time we will be ready. As a team."

"...Thank you." He whispered, caressing her hand with his own. The two stayed like that for a while, ignoring for a few precious seconds together, that the world was still going forward.

* * *

In his throne room, the Lord of Latveria was pleased. Immersed in the shadows but for the soft blue light of his mega screen, he listened to the latest news, his metal face unmoving.

"In an incredible turn of events, the Sub-mariner has come back after 80 long years. The former ally of the invaders attacked New York only to be stopped by Reed Richards and the Fantastic Four. No further declarations were made and when asked, the Baxter Building sponsor, General Thaddeus Ross, simply declared 'No comment.' The only thing that is certain is that the Fantastic Four once again saved the city..."

With a click of his fingers, the screen turned off and was replaced by a wall. He clenched his fist, causing the doors of the throne room to open. The man got up, flaunting his cape.

"Boris." He called, his voice booming and yet calm.

"Yes, my Lord?" An old man with a full, white beard, entered the room, carrying a lantern.

" _Richards_...has made his move." He proclaimed in a deep staccato, his voice dripping with venom at the mention of the name. "It's time."

"I'll carry on with the preparations then, my Lord."

"Do that, faithful Boris. Reed Richards has just stumbled in the first step. Soon, he and his insipid lackeys shall know the true meaning of... **DOOM**."

* * *

Author's Notes: _For Jack, Stan and Steve._


	4. The First Family 04

In the Baxter Building, men and women of science were focusing matters of absolute importance.

"What, is it a tower?" Alyssa had no idea what she had before her eyes. Don was still doodling, adding more and more squiggly lines on the holographic board with no one the wiser. "A hideous tower, some Frank Gehry wannabe?"

"A giraffe? A very short giraffe?" Sue chuckled and threw her hands in the air. "I give up!

"Some kin' of potato?" Ben tilted his head to get a better general picture.

"A fusebox?" Reed said. "It must be a fuse box!"

"Uh, Reed? You said that three times already."

"The ending of Koyaanisqatsi?" Johnny said, drawing once again the looks of everyone in the room. "What? Can't a guy enjoy a movie?"

"Dignity," Jane deadpanned as she leaned back on the couch. "You always draw that. It's dignity."

"Oh, so Abstract Concepts are on the table," Reed said. "Good to know. We'll see how many of you can recognize Heisenberg's uncertainty principle."

"Uhm, Reed? You just spoiled that." Johnny chuckled.

"And that is correct, my better half!" Don finished to scribble some other squiggly lines on that rectangle and leaned over to kiss his wife on the forehead. She sported a hint of a smile as he did that.

"Aw, come on, ya cheated, Don." Ben laughed it off. "She must be used to yer tomfoolery."

"Poppycock," Johnny said with a fake British accent and mimicking a monocle with his fingers. "You rapscallions don't know what are you talking!" He leaned towards Ben, sticking his fake monocle a few inches next to his rocky brow.

"Very funny, Matchstick."

"I get my nickname, it's cute and all. What's Sue's, though?"

"Suzie Q. Duh."

Johnny blinked. "You're _old_."

"I'm seasoned, kid. Also, today's music sucks and I'm completely unapologetic about this opinion." He laid back on his chair, hands between his head, sporting a sly smile.

"Yeah, that's what an old dude that never listened to Lila Cheney would say."

"Blame my ability at this game on hours upon hours of The Simpsons...That he made me watch." Jane sighed.

"Hey, it's a classic," Don said indignantly. "The finest culture the Americas ever produced."

After a while, The Baxter Building team decided to get serious finally. The group reunited to the building's hangar that store the newly christened Fantasticar. Johnny noted with some pride that he was in that little group by coming up with that name. He liked the fact that Reed, the smartest man he's probably going to meet, loved it, so simple it was.

"All right, Ben." Reed gathered everyone around the Fantasticar. Reed had figured that if they had a theme, might as well play around it. "Me, Sue, Alyssa, and the Blakes are going to Subterranea. Doctor Elder said that this could be the right time to see how it's ecosystem works and we are going to gather some data about it."

"I for one I'm absolutely elated at the opportunity. It's the first time I'll be able to see first hand the anatomy of countless new life forms."

"You're such a nerd, Don." She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.

"It was in our vows and everything."

"Yeah, wonder when Sue and Reed are going to write their vows, am I right?" Johnny raised his hand. Everyone in the room left him hanging. He looked at Alyssa who merely shook her head in disapproval.

"Wait, Stretch, ya didn't include me in the expedition. What, Am I not pretty enough for 'em?" Ben chuckled bitterly. "Giant monsters and gremlins are gettin' picky?"

"Well, uh…" Reed sucked in some air, and his gaze wandered on the floor. " Apparently, Giganto is very scared of you after you punched him in the face, and Doctor Elder is pretty bitter about it. He is quite protective of his subjects."

"Oh. Fair enuff." Ben shrugged. "I did punch him really hard last time."

"Plus, somebody has to take care of Johnny," Sue said as Johnny checked behind his back to see that, yes, they were talking about him.

"Fair enuff." Ben grinned smugly, crossing his arms over his chest. "I _could_ punch him real hard this time."

"What, you guys still think I'm a baby or something?"

"Yes." The three of them said at the same time while Johnny was literally fuming with rage. He quickly composed himself and extinguished one small flame dancing on his curls.

"Don't worry, guys. I ain't going' to let this kid slip by fer one sec." He hovered his hand over Johnny's head, preparing to give the boy a friendly pat on the head, before deciding not to risk to smash him open with a giant fist. Everyone boarded and the ship, having finished every possible preparation and the of them watched the rest of the team depart with the steely conviction Ben was going to never, ever let matchstick for one second.

No, sir.

He was going to be a responsible adult figure for once.

Soon afterward, Ben fell asleep on the couch.

Wasn't his fault that adamantium couches were so comfy once you get used to it.

In his dream, he still had human hands. He felt the sun and warm hand on his face. His blue eyes looked at the world, and the world didn't see a monster. In that dream, he was still good old Ben Grimm, and he was admired, not feared. He was on the beach. He remembered that day. There were Sue and Reed and Johnny before all of that started. She smiled at him, and his heart melted. He kneeled and offered to help her with the sandcastle. She offered him a cold beer, and once it hit his lips, he was the happiest man in the world. He could feel the smell of barbecue and salt water. The sun on his shoulders was warm. He was content and happy and absolutely, painfully normal, and there was nothing that could take that away from—

 **I will steal your heart and leave you begging for more!**

Impossibly loud rock music tore him away from his beautiful dream and back to reality as the rock giant rushed to Reed's lab. To his immense surprise, he found himself locked in the room. A sleek white magnetic door was on his way. He raised one fist to knock it out on its hinges until he remembered that Reed put much effort into building the security system and also there was a code.

He wrote it on a sheet of paper next to the keyboard.

The door didn't budge. On a closer look, Ben noticed that _someone_ had hastily scribbled the wrong numbers on a nearby sheet of paper. Ben rolled her eyes and hoped Reed wouldn't be too angry. After he knocked down the door, two other doors closed respectively in front and behind him. "Ya gotta...He rewrote the system?!" He was mildly impressed by Johnny's craftiness. Also, angered. Mostly angered, Ben abandoned all subtlety when he lowered his head and charged, crushing yet another door.

And another. And another. Soon, Ben was leaving several Thing shaped holes in a long series of doors. Ben was starting to lose his already remarkable patience before he finally knocked down the last door and reacher Reed's lab...

...Only to see it downright _swarming_ with teenagers. He had to admire Johnny's ability to gather a crowd to quickly, at least. Some kids were messing around, riding on a prototype Fantasticar that Reed has started working at, just in the case they needed something that could ride on walls, leaving tire tracks everywhere.

Another group was playing around with a couple of robots, after getting ahold of their control devices. They were using them to have them fight an impromptu Rock 'em Sock'em Robot match. Complete with the head of the loser popping out. He had a strong instinct of pulling his hair out in frustration if he still had some.

Yet another group was fiddling with what looked like a giant laser cannon. Luckily, Ben stomped his way to them and only one fearsome look of his was needed to dissuade them for trying that. The group of kids fled in fear without even him needing to raise his voice. He didn't spare one word. He saved the time to feel the hurt for looking for the irresponsible matchstick that started all this.

Girls surrounded the culprit of this mess as he partook in party tricks in an impromptu hot tub — the fiery kind of tricks. The torch had taken a liking to wreath himself on fire and writing the names of each of his admirers. It was a long list, too, that ended as he managed to scrabble a "Rik-" out in the air when Ben grabbed him by a leg and pulled his mug close to his face. Johnny turned his flames off as he gulped in fear, staring at Ben's rocky frown. At least he was wearing a speedo to make it less embarrassing.

One girl with a wild mop of wild brown hair nonchalantly texted him something and bolted out of the way with the rest of the kids, awkwardly redressing herself while still wet. "Bye, J. Good luck!" She chirped as she ran away with the rest of the crowd, jumping on one leg while trying to put her pants back on. Ben wished he could still blush as she realized the girl left behind her bra in the hot tub.

Johnny took out his smartphone and shot a glance as he checked the message. "Man, I hope she at least gave me her real number."

Ben grabbed it and crushed it like a cheap glass, scattering its ashes on the ground. "Whoops." He grunted.

Johnny blinked, his eyes then darting between the remains of his cellphone and Ben's frown. "Well, that was rude."

"What were ya thinking, matchstick? This is Reed's lab, for Pete's sake!"

"Exactly! Would you start a party in the most boring place of the house?"

Ben blinked. "Crud, you're right, I wouldn't."

"Not with that attitude, that's for sure."

"Wotta are ya saying, kid?" He lifted him over his head, causing Johnny to kick his legs in fear.

A metal cylinder fell from the ceiling, smashing itself into a myriad of tiny pieces.

"Wait, maybe we can fix th-"

The machine promptly exploded, loud enough to make Johnny and Ben flinch. What looked like a very expensive contraption was now a wreck laying on the floor.

"Ya don't think I'm going to clean yer mess, do ya?"

"Maybe?" He flashed a goofy grin in the hopes his charm could get him out of a head-squishing by the giant rock monster. "Probably? Kinda?" Ben dropped the boy on the ground with a loud thud. "Look, I'm sorry, big guy."

Ben liked the kid.

He truly did. Just a little bit less, now. It was the exhausting kind of anger he felt.

"Ya know what? It's yer responsibility. Ya started this mess, and ya clean it up. I'm out!"

"What? And where are you going?"

"I said I'm out." With that, Ben simply stormed off and left the half wet, half-charred Human Torch alone with his mess. "Figure it out yourself."

"What? You're leaving me like this? What would Reed and Sue say?!"

Ben threw a wet mop on his face and let Johnny simmer with rage as he stormed out of the lab.

* * *

As Ben found himself wandering the streets, he realized that maybe he hadn't the most inconspicuous disguise. That craggy trench coat hid his solid frame pretty well and that old-timey fedora he managed to find while he rummaged in the wardrobe hid his ugly mug pretty well.

When he looked down at that puddle and saw an orange monster made of rocks he found out that, no, it didn't. Ben sighed and shrugged as he let his rocky hand slid over the walls of good, old Yancy Street.

He cracked a small smile at that. That was the place he grew up, and even if it was a run down crummy place and positively swarming with no-gooders (himself included, once), it felt like home. In that even crummier alley he had his first kiss and his first cigarette from a girl older than him. He was mugged there for the first time by the way out of his depth teen with a knife and bloodshot eyes. Then he grew up into a way out of his depth teen and mugged someone there. He wasn't proud of that one, but hey, kids can do stupid things as Johnny certainly showed.

"The wallet, old man. Hurry up!" Ben turned towards that shrieky, nervous voice and he finally felt like home. The typical Yancy Street evening. He saw yet another teen way out of his depth pointing a knife towards a nonchalant middle-aged man.

"Look, son, if you want the money-" He had his hands in the air, but showed no fear at that sight. He had the typical, jaded outlook on life that Yancy Street gave you after a lifetime.

"I said the wallet, old man, hurry up!" The teen gritted his teeth and waved his knife around, trying to keep it still with both hands trembling.

The man tried to explain but his hand slipped, and the wallet fell on the ground. The moment he saw it, he visibly panicked, like that wallet there was the most precious thing in the word. He practically leaped at it, causing the criminal to lose his already fragile temper.

"D-don't move!" He grabbed the man and pushed him to a wall, his knife dangerously close to his throat. The man closed his eyes and took a deep breath, waiting for the inevitable.

Ben sighed, and for one moment he was glad: Something straightforward for a change. He took heavy steps towards the hoodlum and just tapped on his shoulder with one huge orange finger.

"What the-"

The kid winced and quickly turned towards Ben, lunging at him. His knife broke in half as he pushed it forward using all his weight, not even bouncing on his rocky skin. The broken blade made a pathetic tingling sound on the ground before the boy looked up. The moment he saw Ben in all of his imposingness, he bolted out of the way and disappeared in the alley, knocking out a garbage can.

"Well, he can run, there's that. You ok?" Ben offered a hand to the man he had just rescued, but he was busy checking his wallet. He took out one photo and religiously straightened its angles before letting a sigh of relief. He was an older gentleman, probably pushing his sixties or so, with completely white hair, a strong jaw, and a prominent nose. The photo depicted a beautiful young woman with cropped blonde hair and blue eyes, hugging one spunky kid with the same hair color. The man pocketed it immediately and then grabbed Ben's hand.

"Thank you, pal. I couldn't imagine what'd happen if I lost it... " The man stopped for a second to look carefully at Ben's face. Ben rolled his eyes as he waited. He was getting used to making that first impression, not to mention drawing curious looks.

"Yeah, yeah, bet ya saw me on TV or somethin'?"

"Ben Grimm?"

"Yup, that's the name."

At least he didn't call him "The Thing." It wasn't a bad name per se, but there was a significant difference when someone used it while he did superhero work and when he just wanted to be Ben Grimm.

"Don't you remember me?" The man smiled and let Ben look at him for a while, leaving his memory some time to stir up

Ben tilted his head, and a spark of remembrance lit his blue eyes. "Mr. Quill? Well, I'll be!" He gently shook the older man's hand as he gave Ben a friendly pat on his broad shoulder. "Didn't see ya in a while!"

"Little Benjy Grimm!" The man let out a hearty laugh. Ben couldn't help at being a little embarrassed for that nickname, but he could let that slide. "I didn't expect to see you back here."

"S' my home, sir. Jus' wanted to get back at my roots."

"Please. Any fella punching giant monsters to save New York can call me Greg."

Greg Quill was an old friend of his uncle, Jake. Just a decent person all around. A person with morals and a strong determination. The determination to live life to the fullest despite his personal tragedies. He and Jake kind of drifted apart the day his only daughter died of cancer. Not just that, his only grandson disappeared a few hours after the fact and wasn't seen since. This would've destroyed a lesser man, but Quill had still some life in him and willing not to let the brunt of the tragedy weigh him down. Ben was glad to see him.

"But what are we still doing out here? We should celebrate your return! Drinks are on me!"

"Thank you, Greg, but ya don't need ta-"

"To thank a real hero? I insist." Quill put an arm around his shoulders and Ben kinda let himself be dragged around. It's not that he was in a hurry: He figured that Johnny had a long way ahead of cleaning that mess he left. The point of that day was reconnecting, after all.

He followed the older man to a bar with a dinghy insignia saying "Stan's" and followed him inside. It was an impressive display of local color. Cliched even. Some worn down stools around a fake marble counter and some little tables not very well lit hugging the walls. It was pretty clean for a joint like but nothing too special: it was enough to keep away health inspectors, at least.

A pair of shady looking patrons were playing pool, one of them sporting a biker jacket, and the barman was a jolly looking old man, sporting a pair of thick round glasses. He was wearing a contagious smile while polishing a glass and whistling a cheesy song.

"The usual," Quill said to the barman. "For my friend and me."

The old man followed through, still sporting that smile, but the rest of the patrons grew uneasy around the giant. The stool was dangerously cracking under Ben's weight surely didn't help. One man tried to stifle a little laugh that was quickly shut down by a quick glare from a pair of annoyed blue eyes.

"So, how's the superhero life going?" Quill said. "Must be pretty weird. One day you're just a day and then, boom, space stuff."

"It ain't bad. Still got my pretty face." Ben gave a soft and a somewhat sad grin that left Quill unimpressed.

The biker playing pool turned his back on him and pretended to adjust his shot better, throwing a couple of glances at the giant and looking distinctly uncomfortable at that. His mate whispered something to his ear, and the two started eagerly eyeing the exit.

"I mean, don't get me wrong." Ben continued, trying not to be bothered. "All the monster punchin's good. We did save many lives back there. Still...I'm just a kid from Yancy. This is happening too fast, Greg. I'm kinda out of my element. Next thing I know we're going to square off against honest to goodness aliens! Most of the things I've punched came from Earth, at least."

"You know, tv talked about some weird sightings around Saturn or something the other day, so it could be sooner than you think."

" _Oy Vey."_

"Ah, whatever happens, you'll be able to handle it." The man patted Ben's shoulders. He quickly tried to hide his pained hand afterward."You and your team, of course. The stretchy genius, the invisible lady and that kid on fire. They seem a pretty competent bunch. I've seen how you guys held off against that Atlantean snob."

"Yeah, that kid." Ben snorted. "I know we've just started doing this...Whatever you're gonna call it, but he's drivin' me nuts."

Quill sighed as he downed his glass in one full swing. "He reminds me of my grandson, Petey. A little older maybe. Also, cockier." They both gave a small nod in confirmation of that. "But not by much. Still, his heart seems in the right place."

"I ain't worried about his heart. He's a troublemaker. I don't think he's takin' it seriously. I don't think he takes _anything_ seriously."

"To be honest, do we?"

"I'm older than him. He's part of my team. I feel some kin' of responsibility towards him...He's like the annoying little brother I never got. Part of me understands why he's such a screw-up. However, I don't know what to do about him." Ben sighed. "I just want to do the right thing."

"Heh. Sounds like Petey, all right. The kid was a spitfire. There was that time he beat the crap out of another kid."

"Woah."

"He insulted his ma'."

"Screw him, then."

"Thing is, kids have a good heart, deep down. They need guidance, though. A firm hand to guide them, not drag them. Maybe the kid acts like a troublemaker because he believes that. Give him another chance, and he may surprise you, Ben."

"Heh. I'll try once I get back." Ben chuckled as he grabbed the glass and tried to brought it to his lips. It exploded in a million of tiny pieces the moment he squeezed it.

"Darn…" Ben sighed. "I'll pay for that…"

"Don't worry, big guy." The barman started to clean the counter with his usual, unfazed smile immediately. One man flat out snickered at Ben's clumsiness. The Thing got up, and the laughter died down as quickly as it came.

"Hey, guys. A little respect, here." Quill said as he nudged the still uneasy patrons to try and defuse the situation. "This man is the first from Yancy Street to have been in space. He's one of us!" He started to clap, and Quill managed to muster up little applause and a few raised glasses in his honor. Not the most enthusiastic crowd but it had to do for now. Ben looked down and realized he still had some pieces of glass and an alcohol stain on his trenchcoat and sighed again.

"Hey, cheer up, handsome."

Ben heard the most beautiful voice he had ever heard coming from behind him, and for a second he looked wholly mesmerized. Quill flashed a playful smile as he nudged Ben to make his move as he too had noticed where his interest lay.

He cleared his voice and composed himself, even trying to adjust his nonexistent hair. "Ah, ah, really funny, miss." He turned towards the source of that angelic voice and saw a woman sitting on a table in the quietest angle of the bar. She had dark skin and long curly hair. She was wearing a pleasant smile, and she had a pair of uncannily blue eyes, staring motionless at the wall. The moment he saw her he felt a little less curmudgeon about everything. He sat down in front of her as delicately as he could.

"Uhm...I didn't catch your name."

"I didn't throw it."

"Look, Miss…"

"Too late." The girl smiled, and when Ben awkwardly shifted his weight, trying to think of something to say, he realized that the girl's eyes didn't follow him as he moved. They just stood there immobile and still eerily blue. She was wearing a gentle smile, but there a certain gravitas to her eyes.

"Oh, I'm such a _jerk_ …"

"In hindsight, yes, but it's easy to overlook."

Ben chortled nervously again. Part of him thought it was okay for her to make those jokes. The other part wanted to dig a hole and throw himself in it "Where are my manners? I'm Ben Grimm." He tried his best to give a small, courtly bow. He then realized it was kind of superfluous to do that.

"Yeah, I _saw_ you on the news." The girl smiled and extended her hand to Ben. "Alicia Masters."

"Oh...I think I heard that name. Wasn't that one of those web show things? Sculpting and stuff? I heard it on TV, once."

"That's the one. It's pretty popular, too, but I guess a person in this industry has to be validated by the older media."

"I never saw it myself."

"That's okay. Neither did I, but they told me I look pretty good in it." Ben steeled himself, trying not to snort yet another laugh out. He was never sure if he was supposed to laugh when someone made a joke like that.

"So what brings you in a…" Ben looked around, waiting for the bartender to be out of earshot. " _Characteristic_ place like that?"

"I like to be in contact with the common folk — the local color. Also, Stan doesn't have to sweep the place when I come here. What, am I going to tell someone it looks like crap?" Ben couldn't keep it inside and burst into a coarse laugh. A fit of uncomfortable laughter filled the entire bar soon after. It was insensitive, stupid and painfully human. He was glad he could still laugh about foolish and insensitive things. It was _refreshing_ for Ben.

"Well, it can't be worse than my face! Sure, we've had a _rocky start,_ but I think we're making a pebble into a mountain."

"I can see why." Her closed hand was now resting on her cheek, barely hiding a pleased smile.

"It's a _boulder_ I have to carry."

"I wish I could put my eye on that."

She was downright exhilarating. Mean-spirited, but hilarious. Yet, he felt at ease with her. Until then, he had to resort to humor as a defense mechanism. Finally, a person with which he hadn't to hide.

"But seriously, though, Mr. Grimm-"

"You can call me Ben."

"Ben...I know it sounds weird, but may I touch your face?" She held her hand over his face, tentatively getting closer to it. Ben's blood froze: it was too good to last, after all. "I know we've just met, but I'd like to 'see' you. My way at least. You know, to see where the fuss is all about." She chuckled again, this time in a much more uncomfortable way — her hand waiting for Ben's touch.

Ben wanted to risk it, for once. Everyone was still looking at him whenever he goes and whether he wanted it or not: He never considered the idea of someone _wanting_ to look at him.

He gently grasped her hand with his own guiding it on his face. Her fingers traced the sharp lines of his visage, caressing his strong jawline and brow ridges. He couldn't make sense of his expression as she did that and his heart was pounding against his lithic ribcage. He was waiting for some reaction, _any_ reaction, good or bad. He didn't care. He wanted to be acknowledged. That's who he was: he was Ben Grimm. He was the Thing.

"Heh...Not bad."

"R-really?"

"Yes...Sometimes, a shape has a different meaning for every one of us. It's all a matter on how we perceive things. This may be just my opinion, but there's something beautiful in this shape. Your Shape. I don't think you should be ashamed of it. I think there's a purpose to it, like all things."

Ben was shocked at that. He almost remembered how to shed tears of happiness...

He sniffled as quietly as he could and wiped the small tear with a finger. "You know, Alicia...What about we continue this at your place?"

Everyone in the establishment realized that the thing came out somewhat ambiguous. Quill chuckled nervously as he downed his drink, avoiding eye contact with everyone. The bartender nearly dropped a glass and whispered an exasperated "Oh, boy…" Alicia just stood there, looking flabbergasted.

"I mean...For a statue. Yeah!" He chuckled. "How about I pose for a statue?"

"That...That would be a great idea!" She lightened up immediately. He could see a twinkle in her blue-grey eyes. "Ben Grimm of the Fantastic Four? With the Fantastic Four following suit? We could make a composition, add each member one by one. I'd rather compose it in one go but who knows if I could handle your power. Maybe if Mr. Fantastic stretches that way...And where do we put the Torch..." Ben could hear the gears grinding in her mind as he looked at the girl gesticulating wildly, already in the creative phase. "Of course! The Torch flies! We could have him make a ring of fire around you guys!"

"I mean, yeah, I could ask 'em…"

"Here's my address." The woman produced a business card from her pocket. "My atelier is just below my Uncle Philip's apartment. I look forward to see you again, Ben."

The whole time Ben had a soft smile in his face. He pocketed the card with the utmost care and gave a small bow as he went back to his seat. "So..." He stammered, realizing that the woman wouldn't have realized he was gone. "I'm looking forward to it, as well."

"You still got it, Benji," Quill said as ben sat back next to him, giving him a friendly poke on his ribs.

* * *

"Do you have any idea of how much this equipment cost?!" Reed rarely raised his voice, but when he did, it was a sight to behold. Johnny still had fresh in his mind...Sue's report on that little Namor incident. Being heroically passed out took its toll on him. "What were you thinking?"

Johnny didn't look him in the eye as he was still busy sweeping the floor. He nervously glanced over his shoulder, in fear Ben would pop out of the corner and make him finish faster. "I just wanted to have fun…"

"There's a time and place for that, Johnny." Reed picked up a square, large white robotic head and sighed. "I'm very disappointed in you."

"It's easy for you to say that. You're a genius and everything. This life fits you like a glove."

"And it doesn't for you?"

"Give me a break!" He threw the broom on the floor, snapping it in half.

"Now, listen to me, young man-" Reed stretched one arm, pointing the literal and metaphorical finger at him. Johnny shoved it away.

"Save it. Just save it!"

He clenched his fists. His hands were shaking. He gave his all, and it wasn't enough. He passed out for almost all the battle when the team needed him. Something great and terrible was awakening all over the world, and he was found _wanting_. He couldn't save Ben, and he couldn't help Sue. Something was screaming and mocking him relentlessly in his head that he was just a boy. Just like Namor said: J _ust a boy…_

A boy wasn't enough.

It hurt so much, and he couldn't help but drowning that sound with something, anything but the sounds of reality. He wanted to tell Reed all of this, but he couldn't. Not then. Maybe not ever.

"Johnny...I know I'm not your father, but-"

"The first smart thing I heard all day!"

With that, Johnny enveloped himself in flames and flew right through the window, leaving a hole of molten glass in his wake. Reed was left there speechless, pinching the bridge of his nose in sheer frustration. He was tempted to see where he was going and maybe have him listen to reason. He had tracers in their suits in case the team had to separate, but he decided not to: Everyone had a right to their spaces. For a moment there, he felt detached...And alone. He retired into his lab, trying to work on things he could understand. He swiftly gathered the data he and Susan acquired from Subterranea and closed the sealed door, the wonders of the multiverse now filling his thoughts...

* * *

"Over here, Ms. Storm." The guard pointed Susan to a small chair under a small desk. A thin glass separated an identical one in front of her, and a small phone was hanging at her side. She sat there and grasped the phone in her hand, her breath leaving a halo on the glass. Susan waited in silence until a man arrived and sat in front of her. He was a composed, middle-aged gentleman with a few streaks of gray in his blonde hair. He had a shaggy mustache that showed he was doing the best he could to trim it and look presentable. The man picked up the phone from his side.

"Hey, Sue."

"Hi, dad."

"Or should I call you The Invisible Woman?"

"I think I'll prefer Sue, for now." Sue chuckled. "God knows I'll never get used to it."

"The Invisible Woman and The Fantastic Four. That's a mouthful now. I like that Johnny chose the names."

"Yeah, he didn't ask any of us beforehand, but the media's rolled with it. Even if we wanted to change it, we can't."

"Is this how your life is gonna be now? Fighting monsters and exploring strange lands? Because if you guys ever want to become The Fantastic Five…"

"Maybe one day, dad. Maybe one day."

The man stopped to give a long sigh, his eyes wandering on the ground. "Does Johnny... _Know_?"

"No, but I think he should, dad."

"He's better off this way. I'd just give him grief. He doesn't need to know about me." Storm sighed. "A hero doesn't need to have a jailbird for a father. Can you imagine those media jackals if they'd know that?"

"I think we'll be fine, dad. I think Johnny will be fine. I think he would be happy if he knew he has a father." Sue placed her hand on the glass. "Just...Think about it, ok?"

Storm placed his hand on the glass as well. Right in front of Sue's. "I think we could."

* * *

"Hey, Stretch. I'm sorry for the kid and everythin'. It's not easy, and with all that's goin' on these days, I'm not thinkin' clearly. I know ya got a lot in your head as well and…" Ben rehearsed the entire speech in his head before getting into the elevator, but he didn't find anyone at the Baxter. He looked in the living quarters, in the hangar and the training room in confusion. He was starting to get nervous until he realized that at least Reed would be in his lab. "Stretch?"Anyone?"

"I'm here, Ben." Reed's voice reached him through the communicator and opened an automatic door. Ben stepped inside, following the green glow.

"Look, Stretch, as I woz sayin'..." Ben dropped his hat at the sheer magnitude of the sight. He saw Reed standing below a portal very similar to the one where the fated experiment took place. Only this time, it was showing a multitude of windows to other worlds.

Reed was at the center of it all, examining each window one by one, like a child trying to pick up soap bubbles. He saw garish colors and uniforms in each window, giant robots, dinosaurs, and men clad in futuristic armor waging war against an army of reptilian beings. He saw a man swinging on a strand of web fighting a man with four mechanical tentacles on the top of a falling tower. He saw a woman traveling in outer space, her body enveloped by an aura shaped like a flaming bird, and annihilating a star with the power of her mind. He saw a swordsman leading a small army against a mechanical tripod.

"What...What is this, Stretch?" Ben could feel his powerful form fail in front of that magnificence. He reached for one of the windows in which he saw his doppelganger. For some reason, he sported full pirate regalia, even wearing a long, unmatted beard.

"This...Is the Multiverse, my friend. Every parallel universe. Every choice we make, every road we do not take, creates a diverging universe where we made that choice — a whole tapestry of stories, worlds, and adventures. This was it, Ben: This was the entire purpose of my research! The N-Zone is still uncharted territory, but an important stepping stone for this project! There is nothing we can't achieve, my friend! Among the infinite universes, Ben...I'm looking for the one with your body in it."

"Stretch...I…I don't know what to say." He barely managed to close his jaw as his blue eyes couldn't keep but gaze at it. He wondered how Reed didn't go nuts at that sight. Even one second of it was enough to annihilate a lesser mind. What was bothering him was all the various Things he saw in the windows. Some were smaller than him, other bigger and feral, but each of them was a Ben Grimm. Was that Ben Grimm or that other Ben Grimm struggling with their condition? How long they've been like that? Were they happy with it? He wished he could reach out and ask them. It wouldn't have been hard.

"What do you think?"

 _I think there's a purpose to it, like all things._

Looking at the core of infinity, Ben Grimm hesitated. Reed was stretching his hand, waiting for Ben to hold onto it. He saw the confusion and genuine hurt in his face, but he was still hesitating with it. "Jus'...Let me think about it." He muttered, finally averting his gaze from the portal.

"Oh...Of course. It's still in the experimental phase, and I'm still scanning for a possible alternative. Not to mention replicating down to the last decimal point the procedure, right." Reed turned away to check one more time at the machine's commands. "And, Ben?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm glad we could talk about this, and that you gave me a chance." Reed placed a comforting hand on Ben's shoulder, but the giant's mind was elsewhere. At the cost of looking and sounding ungrateful, something in his heart had changed. Even if that miraculous cure was now possibly in their grasp, something was weighing on his heart. For once, he didn't feel that Ben Grimm and The Thing as separate identities. He wasn't the only one to think that, now.

* * *

"Hey, Alicia...I'm here, I guess." Ben was standing in front of Alicia's door. It was a small apartment on the ground floor of a modest building. That came out as a relief since he didn't want to accidentally fall through her floor, right in the apartment of a poor old lady living downstairs. He clutched his hat, wearing a soft smile he really couldn't keep down. The woman was wearing a simple pair of jeans and a work apron stained of clay.

"Ben! I'm so glad you came." She stroke his shoulder gently. " Is it just you?"

"I was tryin' to convince the others, but I couldn't. At least not today. It was one of those days. Ya know, superhero stuff. It's another can of worms."

"Well, you can tell me everything about it while we work. I love to talk with my models." Ben put his coat down and looked around the apartment. It was a mess, but it had some charm and dignity. There were dozens of statues, both finished or not, laying around, portraying various subjects, whether they be animals or persons or even abstract concepts. He really wanted to ask what the weirdly shaped potato with a mouth was supposed to mean, but asking that to an artist was a touchy subject. There were some awards and certificates on her wall, a pristine clean array of them, and Ben was just in awe. He could hear some podcast coming from her speakers: It was a young woman's voice that was going off on various tangents, talking about politics, entertainment and some arachnid looking person swinging above the streets of New York.

"It's Patsy! The exclamation mark is in the title. I'm not crazy about it..." She giggled. "But it keeps you company." Alicia moved with incredible security all around and quickly sat to her place. She silently motioned to Ben to take his place in front of her. He complied and stood there, waiting for Alicia's hand. She had a gentle yet inquisitive touch. It studied every nook and cranny of his hard skin, which she quickly reproduced with precision and charm over a shapeless mold of clay. The creative process of it was fascinating: It was like a mirror that unfolded its reflection slowly, like uncovering it with a curtain. It was like every shape was already contained in a single block as they used to say.

Alicia was working at remarkable speed until the two had an interruption.

"Alicia? Won't you introduce me to our guest." Ben turned to take a look at the man that had entered the studio. He had dark skin and a finely trimmed goatee. He wore a sharp purple suit with a red tie and flashed a reassuring smile as he offered his hand to Ben. He shared Alicia's icy blue eyes, and her nonchalantness at facing weird rock monsters.

"Ben, this is my uncle, Philip Masters."

"You can call me Phil if I'm allowed to call you Ben." He had a frim grip, and for a change, he wasn't intimated in the least at the sight of The Thing. It must've run in the family.

"Pleasure ta meet ya, Phil."

"I see that my niece has finally convinced you to pose. Whenever she's got an idea, she talks about it for weeks. It's a remarkable thing."

Alicia visibly blushed at that.

"She's got an eye for talent, sir."

Masters looked at loss of words for a second because of the joke, before he saw both Ben and Alicia share a hearty laugh between themselves. "Oh, I get it. It's your thing. Some kind of joke." he chuckled briefly. "Yes, this is nice. I should go to work. I was only passing by the retrieve a pen drive.

"I think we've freaked out your uncle." Ben said.

"I can _see_ that." Alicia once again burst into laughter, burying her face in a towel to not be seen. She then realized that that towel was dirty of clay and quickly stopped that. She stuck her tongue out for the taste and Ben tried to snicker to quietly as possible not to be heard.

"It's nice to see her like that. I haven't heard her laugh like that in a long time. You must be a special man, Ben."

"I, uh, I'm just a guy from Yancy Street. It's nothing special, sir. I mean, Phil."

"Oh, Ben: We at Oscorp have taken a great interest in extraordinary people. We are building the future and, pardon me if I sound like an advert, we hope that one day you'll be in it. You could take a look at our labs, one day. I promise we'll make it worthwhile." He handed Ben a business card and took a small bow. "I'll be back for dinner, Alicia."

"Bye, uncle. Take care." She chirped while getting back to work.

As he closed the door and walked down the streets, the man couldn't help but chuckle. A chuckle that quickly turned into a barely restrained sinister chortle. He opened his hand to look at his palm. There was a piece of purple glowing clay lodged at the center of it. "Yes, this is it. This is exactly the reaction I expected. " He closed his hand and pocketed it, looking back at the apartment. He took a look inside from the window and looked at the Thing with an evil gleam in his eyes. "Stay safe, Mr. Grimm. We wouldn't want to ruin one of my precious puppets. Not yet, anyway..."

* * *

Author's Notes: First, of all, expect more and more Stan Lee cameos because it will hurt for a long time. I wouldn't be here writing his fic if it weren't for him, Ditko and Kirby. I can't help but share my glee at the buildup I'm doing for the Puppetmaster. The Lee/Kirby run produced such a cadre of unforgettable villains and stories I was absolutely at loss when asked to choose. For his appearance I always had in mind Jamie Foxx, while for Alicia I always imagined Kerry Washington, for her role in the much maligned live action. Also, yes, they were both in Django Unchained. After this chapter, there will be a small break with another, well known, Marvel character. Wealth and fame, she is ignored...


	5. The Web-Slingers 01

It all started with a mistake and the way to atone for that.

That's what the person waiting in the shadows reflected on as she waited for her chance to strike.

"I hope you got the stuff this time, Turk." One of the men asked, arms crossed and looking impatient. It was a cadre of particularly shady individuals, all gathered in that alley. They didn't care about standing out: From their point of view, the streets were theirs.

"When did I ever let you down?" The bald man with the one million dollar smile smirked as he said that. His smile quickly fainted once he noticed the other men's glare. Even the person felt chill for that mood "Ok, maybe not this time." He headed towards the trunk of a car and opened it, whipping out a submachine gun. "Look at this beauty: Fully automatic, not traceable and can load up even armor piercing rounds. The best of the best. Fresh from Stark industries. You ain't ever going to see these puppies anymore. Not ever since Stark went straight. Such a waste, man. He was an artist."

The more Turk talked, the more the person could see his dour business partners hitched to make him shut up. The other man was coldly checking if the weapon was what he promised. He grimaced a little when he noticed the gun was, of course, unloaded. Turk seemed strangely grateful of that. "The Kingpin is going to be pleased." he asserted with almost mechanical precision.

"Certainly. Also, if he's interested in further transactions, he's more than welcome to…" Turk squinted. "What weren't there four of you or something?"

 _Twhip._

"Wow. You can count?" Turk Barrett heard a voice and looked up only to see a pair of milky white eyes looking at them, glowing in the dark.

The men appeared to have finally listened to Turk, and one of them turned around, realizing they were indeed one man short. "He's setting us up!" One of the criminals had a twitchy finger and pointed a gun at Turk. The thug raised his hand, his silver tongue tamed.

 _Twhip._

A greyish strand snatched the mobster's gun out of his hand.

 _Twhip._

Now, they were three.

The overeager criminal was snatched away by something and disappeared in the dark above.

"Look, I have no idea who that is!" Turk shouted, still trying to keep his hand in the air.

The lead thug finally showed some emotions and snapped at Turk, waving the gun in front of him. "I know you're a motherf-"

"Language."

The figure shot a strand of fluid over the thug's mouth. The moment he tried to remove it in fear, he was latched onto a wall with a wider shot. A red blur descended on the criminals and promptly neutralized the rest with blows as fast as lightning. Turk ran back to the car and picked up a clip, smoothly slotting it into the gun. "Ok, freak, now-" To his amazement, there was no one else there, except for the thug still tied to a wall. Everyone else had disappeared "That's just rude." He felt something poking the back of his head, and he closed his eyes, letting out a big sigh. He turned only to see his former associates completely wrapped up in the grey fluid, swinging back and forth. The thug's frightened eyes, the only thing now visible of him, kept pointing at Turk's back. He quickly turned around, pointing his gun at the menace, only to have it snatched from his hand by a four-fingered, spindly hand. What was standing before him, he couldn't describe with certainty, but he recognized the milky white eyes and the red mask.

"Awww, for me? You shouldn't have." The tall, gangly figure quickly crushed his cutting edge weapon like a piece of chalk. Before he could open his mouth, Turk was now dangling upside down.

"Whhoooooa! What the hell, man!"

"Let's talk a bit, shall we?" The figure was so close he could see his breath condensing on the figure's red mask. It was sleek and lucid, but he could see the white shapes in place of its eyes shrinking and widening like it was alive and not just a helmet or a mask.

"About what? The weather? Politics? The latest Lila Cheney's concert? I could get you a ticket if you're interested,"

"Would be nice of you, but I'd rather talk about your business model. I mean, seriously? Trading weapons in a dark alley? Who does that anymore? For a second I thought they were shooting a Christopher Nolan flick." The figure's voice sounded somewhat youthful but artificial. He couldn't gather the gender of the smarmy and mechanical looking fellow holding him. Not that it mattered to him; he was a professional, after all.

"You don't have to worry about the police storming your place if you do it in the open," Turk smirked and tapped a temple with his index finger as if he said the smartest thing in the world.

The figure blinked, its eyes briefly becoming white slits. "This is almost brilliant. That or completely mental. But tell me: Where you did you get those weapons?"

"Well, I know a guy who knows a guy who knows another guy that got his hand onto a Stark shipment. Is it that simple? I could...Point him out to you?"

"No dice. I need a name."

"Can't do that. I've got a work ethic. I would lose my clients if I ratted them out. And by the way-" To his horror, he noticed his phone clutched in the figure's spindly, mechanical hand.

"Mhhh. A. Toomes." The figure squinted their eyes, pensive as it looked at the screen. "Never heard of him, but it's a start."

"What the? When did you get that? Not cool, man."

"Just one more thing and I won't bother you. Scout's honor!" From the way the figure squinted its eyes, Turk could've almost sworn it was smiling under that mask. "The Kingpin. Who is he? He's the talk of the town, after all."

"Man, you have to work your way up the ladder if you want to know. I'm not your guy. The Kingpin is almost a legend! I only take orders from him!"

"It was worth a shot. Then I guess we're done here." The figure let Turk go and jumped onto a wall. To his surprise, it was crawling on it like a spider, without skipping a beat. Meanwhile, Turk was left dangling from a thin yet sturdy strand of web. "See you in ten years or something."

He tried to wiggle out of its grasp only to realize that he was suspended several feet in the air and he liked his bones the way they were, thank you very much. "Could you at least give me back my phone?"

"And let you call your friends? Sorry, not sorry."

"You're mean." He pouted like a small kid. The figure wondered how a guy selling weapons for a living could be so humanely petty.

"And you're still on level 45 of Candy Crush."

"It's harder than it looks!" Turk yelled but realized the figure had already disappeared in the night. "At least this time it wasn't a naked guy."

As they waited for the police sitting on a nearby rooftop, the figure sucked some air in and let out a frustrated grunt. Even the sight of the agents trying and failing to get the thugs down to arrest them was not enough. "Little by little we're getting somewhere. Will it be enough?"

 _We've just made progress of approximately 17% towards your goal.  
_

"Ever the optimist, right Sp/Dr?"

She relaxed and like letting go of all the tension in the body, her limbs lost a few inches and muscle mass. Her fearsome figure started to deflate and shift into a more formal fitting attire. Her helmet liquefied and morphed Into a small retracted hood. She pulled it down, revealing an unkempt mop of black hair. Soon, the fearsome spider person was just a tiny, almost scrawny looking teenager, dangling her feet off a rooftop without a care in the world. "Maybe you're right." She sulked. "I'm just tired to go after the small fishes. I need some action! Results! Or at least some grub…"

 _Peni, my sensors indicate a lack of carbohydrates and fatigue. I would also worry about your blood pressure. The suit needs an outstanding amount of energy, after all.  
_

"Yeah, I know. I'm tired, hungry and I need some sleep. Also, I hope Aunt May won't wake up in the middle of the night to find out I'm gone. That would be _so_ extra."

 _Mrs. Parker's sleep schedule is currently more regular than the last two weeks. I've also checked her heart rhythm, so she should be fine._

Peni blinked. "...You're doing that while we sleep?"

 _I'm doing it even now. My survival is dependent on yours, after all._

"Creepy...But thank you, Sp/Dr."

 _You're welcome, Peni._

With that, the girl clad herself back in her red and blue armor and shot a strand of web to a building, swinging away in the night.

If anyone had asked Peni Parker how did she get herself with awesome superpowers coming with a nosy AI, she would probably say to mind your business or she would kick you in the shins. Unless it was a good day, in that case, she would start with the time she almost lost the bus.

That month.

"Stop the bus! For the love of God, please stop the bus!"

"Get longer legs, Parker!"

That was true: Peni Parker wasn't the tallest student of her class. Or her her living block. Not that it stopped her from chasing the bus all the way to the high school if necessary if only to shut Thompson up. She started banging her fist on the side of the bus hard enough to make the old painting job flake. Her lungs were getting pretty burned up when she caught a glimpse of red hair poking from the window.

"Come on, please, you gotta stop." Peni resorted to downright begging and was tempted on jumping on the side of the bus and mutate in some way so she could cling to any surface.

As proof that there was some mercy in the universe, the bus stopped. She boarded it barely raising her head to meet anyone's eyes, only muttering a sad excuse to the driver, before literally falling on her seat. She noticed her friend, Liz Allen, standing next to the driver and she quickly followed her to the seat next to hers.

"You saved my life, Liz."

"You know me. I care." She licked the tip of her fingers and proceeded to adjust her messy black mop of hair. It was like using a sprinkler on the great Chicago fire, but it was a start. "There, you look salvageable."

"Couldn't ask for more." Part of Peni couldn't help but feel a little unsatisfied of that, though. She always asked herself how did Liz keep her strawberry blonde hair always pristinely clean.

"Oh, hey, driver!" Someone in the seat in front of them raised his hand. "There's an angry porcupine here! It sneaked on the bus!"

"Very funny, Flash," Liz said. Peni slowly raised her bag and was standing on her seat, ready to strike. Liz slowly shook her head and pointed back at the seat, calmly motioning her to back down and don't start a fight. At least not on the bus. Peni grumbled and fell back to her place. "So...Late again?"

"Yeah...Last night I had to help Uncle Ben with that thing...You know the…" Peni slowly closed her eyes and started leaning forward in the arms of Morpheus. Liz gently pushed her head back with a finger before it hit the seat in front of them. "That new code thing...We were working on it. What can I say?" She yawned. "I do know my stuff."

"Wow. Am I supposed to know about it? Your uncle does pretty cool stuff."

"I trust you, Liz. Unless you're some kind of supervillain in disguise!" She chuckled.

Liz swooned dramatically. "Ooooh, you got me! I'm the leader of the Ten Rings!"

"The who, now?"

"A terrorist organization. They're the talk of the web ever since this morning. Look."

Liz handed Peni her smartphone and opened the front page of the Daily Bugle website; Its headline said in monumental characters:

 **TONY STARK IS ALIVE**

"Oh my...So he was kidnapped by them?! That's why he disappeared in Afghanistan?! And he managed to escape?! By himself?!" The only photo in the article was that of a man with black hair and a full beard looking kind of emaciated, skin burnt by the sun. He had one arm in a cast and was surrounded by a cadre of guards and soldiers. From the tabloids, he always looked like a flippant and debonair playboy, but this time she could feel he was at his most vulnerable. What drew Peni's attention the most, though, was his chest. It looked like a glowing circle of metal placed right above where his heart was supposed to be, but she couldn't guess what it was from the position.

"Word's going by that he kicked their asses while he was at it. I heard that when they found him, he had the remains of some kind of power armor on him. That's all there is, though. The guy needs to recover and stuff."

"Oh, that is so cool!" Peni quickly monopolized Liz's phone, searching for every possible video, news, and gossip about Tony Stark. Also, whatever shady corporation looking at her internet history would have been pretty confused as to why there was the entire and impressive cadre of Starktech weapons.

"So…" Liz snatched her phone back, leaving Peni to flail her arms in an attempt to retrieve it. "Let's talk about the field trip! Are you excited for the field trip? Do you know there's a field trip tomorrow?" Liz had to check if her friend was in the same reality as hers.

"What?! Of course, I know! I mean..." She held her head between her hands, focusing hard. "It was this year, right?"

"It's today, Peni."

"Well, it's today! I was right. Sort of."

"That was a test, and you passed it." Liz patted her head, which also worked as an excuse to fix the last angry lock of hair. It immediately sprung back up.

I mean, Oscorp labs? Wow! Their advancements in the fields of bioengineered tissues are unprecedented!"

Liz blinked. "I like you, P. You always make me check new things on Google."

"Yay! Learning!"

"I'll never get why you like that nerd stuff, Parker. It makes my head hurt."

"Come on, Flash, even today?"

"I can't help it, Liz. She makes it easy."

Every time Flash Thompson opened his mouth, she wanted to kick him in her shins and not because deep inside she thought he was somewhat cute, no sir. She tolerated him because Liz kind of liked him, as well. Everyone did dumb things in high school, after all; Peni just hoped to do the smallest possible number of them. "Could you say that again, please?"

"Or what? You're going to kick me in the shins?"

"Careful, Flash." A student next to him poked on his arm. He was a portly fellow with a shaved head and thick forearms. Despite his size, even he hesitated to cross Peni's gaze. "They still hurt!" he said, massaging his leg.

"Come on, Kenny. That's the only part she can reach."

Peni smirked, her legs hitching for kicks. Liz stole a downward glance and prayed to not get in the way.

"Come on, say that again," Peni said as calmly as possible as her fingers grasped at the seat. Liz could've sworn it was going to break from the tension.

"That's the only part you can reach?"

"No, the one before."

Flash sighed heavily, realizing he had fallen in her trap. "I'll never get why-" Peni placed a finger on his lip, stopping him on his track.

"That's right. You don't get stuff."

"Oh, you're so getting it, Parker."

"What, you're going to shove me in a locker? Been there, done that, no sweat."

In hindsight, it was quite comfortable.

"...More like a matchbox…"

"That's it; you're going down!" With that Peni leaped at the bully, screaming incoherently like an angry little cat. From Liz's perspective, everything was in slo-mo: She just saw an enraged fuzzball jumping and then gnawing on Flash's blond hair. She lost one detail or two in all the chaos, but when Liz closed her eyes, the bus didn't crash or burn. She went to her happy place, hoping to ignore the usual chaos. She slipped on a pair of headphones and decided that there was nothing to worry about.

"She bit me! She actually bit me!"

Yet.

"...It was Flash's fault…" Peni grumbled. Standing beside Flash wasn't helping, and everyone was looking at them: She had a nightmare like that once.

"I don't care whose fault it was, Miss Parker." The man pinched the bridge of his nose as he dragged both students by their wrists with heavy steps. "What I care that with your votes you should be so much better than this. And the same goes for you, Mr. Thompson, but for every negative reason!"

"...Sorry, Mr. Warren." Flash muttered under his breath. "Now, you will act as model students from now on, or this will be your last field trip!" The man wiped some sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief before placing the students in line.

"You're dead, Parker." Flash muttered again.

Peni shrugged and muttered something as well. "Everyone dies eventually."

"Well...You'll do that faster!"

Liz pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration as she looked at the two. She was just glad to be alive.

While Flash and Peni were on the verge to start another feud, a young woman cleared her voice and began addressing the crowd. "Hello and welcome everyone to Oscorp Laboratories. We hope you enjoy the experience and it to be an occasion for learning. This is a special occasion, since our CEO, Norman Osborn himself, has some words for you." The woman was the first to clap, which the class followed suit with some hesitation. He was a stern looking, well-built man with bright red hair. He had hawkish features and gaunt cheekbones who didn't even bother to muster a smile. He was accompanied by an innocent looking young man with his same hair color; He looked like a younger version of Osborn. The two wore the same colored suit and the boy stood beside him silently, trying to mimic the man's stern but dignified look. He stood there with his hands behind his back, which the boy clumsily mimicked a second later, and cleared his voice. The chattering crowd of students went silent immediately.

Peni couldn't help but feel a cold shiver crawling on her spine…

"Students of Midtown High, I bid you welcome. I hope this visit it's a fruitful experience. We of the Oscorp industries have always valued the youth and their contributions to the world. The world spins and constantly goes forward, and we have no choice to change and adapt with it. We do also hope it will be a moment of reflection, hoping that one day the most brilliant of you will choose to work with us. We are Oscorp. We are the future...And one day, you might be as well."

Another lazy applause followed which Peni went through the motions. She couldn't help but stare at the sheer coldness of the man's eyes and the admiration in the boy own's. He quietly followed Osborn back into a long, dark limo. The boy was trying to hold a conversation with him, but Osborn just turned his back on him and raised a finger, shushing him with that simple gesture. The two quietly got in the car, the boy's carefree smile gone.

"Liz?" She accosted her friend. "Who was that boy with him?"

"That's Harry Osborn, sole heir of the Oscorp industries. One day, all of this will be his." She snickered as she opened her arms, as if she tried to hold the impressive Oscorp labs in her lap. "Boy, some people get all the luck…"

"I don't know..." Peni tilted her head, pensive. "That boy seemed so lonely."

"You're saying that just because his father is creepy."

"A little. Also, I'm hoping Mr. Osborn is not behind me to hear that."

Peni quickly turned to see that, no, he wasn't.

Thankfully.

By a ration standpoint, she shouldn't have been afraid.

In practice, she took a mental note of checking under her bed that night.

The students were finally allowed in, and Peni mustered all of her strength to not simply squee, right there and then. Oscorp had prepared in advance for a visit and placed a bona fide cornucopia of prototypes and inventions in a semi-circular hall. She saw the latest developments in military tech, one person gliders activated with voice commands; Protective suits with environment camouflage and even a rudimental anti-gravity device. She marveled as she looked in the containment field a real force field, expanding and contracting to crush some debris in a compact block. She snickered as she realized that Oscorp was getting somewhat jealous of Susan Storm: It was a visible replica of her power set, but considering how much good the hero had done with it, why not making it broad and affordable?

"Hope they do not set themselves on fire or something!" She laughed out loud, drawing a couple of weird looks, but nothing she wasn't used to. The gaggle of girls that promptly avoided her in perfect synchrony was just the latest example of that.

Except for Liz, at least. Good old, Liz. Liz never left her, at least.

"Wow." Liz looked with dejected eyes at the demonstration.

"Pretty cool, is it?" Peni asked with her face and hands smooshed against the glass.

"Hope they know what to do with all this stuff. They could arm a small army with just the stuff they're showing us!"

"Well, let's just hope they don't do that...Right?"

Finally, they were shown their biotechnology department, _la piece de resistance_ according to Peni.

"Oh, God, why are there so many spiders in there?!" Despite Flash's abrasiveness, he kind of had a point. Peni scooted behind Liz as one particularly huge specimen leaped at her, thankfully hitting the glass. By a mechanical standpoint, a spider's cheliceare was a masterpiece of nature. Looking at them, though, they were creepy and they knew to be creepy.

"Spiderweb is an extremely solid material. We have biologically engineered a variety of 'super spiders' we might say. Each and everyone possessed the combined and enhanced abilities of all the notable species of spider. For example, this strand is highly intelligent and trough pheromonal suggestions we were able to have them work in unison, creating the perfect fiber for our armor. Other ones are capable of leaping ten times their own size and other even possess a degree of precognition." The woman giggled. "Well, it's an exaggeration, but they do possess incredible intuition and heightened senses, allowing them to outsmart a cocky predator. Imagine being able to replicate these abilities for humans to use!"

While the woman was absorbed in her speech, Peni noticed an open door. Or at least not completely closed. An open door in an amazing lab with high-end technologies being developed right under their noses. If they were showing them such wonders to high school kids, what sort of amazing stuff they could've hidden? It was too much of a fat chance to waste.

"Liz...I'm going for it." She whispered to her friend. Liz only turned when she felt something poking at her ribs.

"What? Where are you going?"

"Distract them! I'll be back in a tick!" Liz turned and tried to make her friend reason, but the tiny schoolgirl had already disappeared, slipping undetected thanks to her size. Not that Liz would've told that to her face, but it was still a big issue. With great horror, she realized that Flash had disappeared as well. She had no choice but stay there, smiling, like there wasn't anything wrong with what was happening and hoping that Professor Warren didn't notice as well.

While everyone else listened to the lecture, Peni Parker had slipped out of sight and stood by the door of destiny. She liked it to call it that way. She hesitated before entering and threw a concerned glance towards the others. Maybe it wasn't the right thing to do. Perhaps she would've got herself in trouble with a powerful megacorp. And then Ben and May would be pretty in trouble as well. Peni sighed and decided just to take a quick look inside and then come back while the door and its other secret were forever staying unknown.

She leaned forward to take a little peek…No harm ever came from a small peek.

That was until Flash pushed her inside.

"See ya later, Parker!" He snorted an annoying laugh and ran away to join the group. "Enjoy your nerd stuff!"

Peni was catapulted inside a hallway, and to her immense chagrin, Flash had locked the door behind her.

"Flash! Open this door immediately!" She banged on the door, standing on her toes to reach for an opening or anything else from which to see. "I swear to G-"

"Hey, Flash. Did you see Peni?" Liz said as she looked left and right (But mostly down) for her friend.

"Beats me." He shrugged.

"I'm going to kill you for this, you little-!" She then realized she was screaming her lungs out in what was supposed to be a secret lab. She shut herself up, slapping her hands on her mouth. She then stepped out from the door and started wandering in the dark, hoping to find another way out. It was a massive contrast from the bright and presentable facade Oscorp had put up for them. It was a dark maze, brightened only by cold light. She felt that same dark shiver crawling up her spine as she wandered through the lab, finding just empty...Cells?

It looked like a run down version of a lab rather than something useful. Maybe it was the reason they kept it there: After all, no one would look for the cool stuff in such a terrible place. She tried to find something, anything interesting until she heard what sounded like heavy machinery. Peni followed that noise until she finally found an occupied cell: Inside of it, there was a bona fide colony of spiders. They didn't even look like real ones but rather sleek, almost mechanical versions of them. They were bright red and just minded their business, weaving what looked like a smooth and strong web with mechanical precision. Part of them was tending to what seemed like an egg sack, waiting eagerly for their young to be born. Peni had never seen spiders with that much coordination, at least when in a pack. She stopped there a few seconds to admire them until she noticed the cell was cracked.

Before she could react to that, something stung the back of her head!

It felt like fire spreading through her skin, and her head started spinning immediately after. She cried in pain, finally breaking her silence until she finally heard a human voice. Peni managed to keep herself on her feet by putting her hands on the glass as she tried not to collapse, the back of her neck pulsating for the sheer pain.

"Peni? Where are you?"

It was Liz's voice. She barely recognized on how groggy she was feeling. The sting's pain was slowly vanishing, but now she felt a strange, unhealthy warmness around her cheeks and her head was still spinning. She blinked several times, trying to retrace her steps as she followed her friend's voice. "I'm here...I think…"

Finally, she saw some light. With some luck, hard work and hopefully someone realizing that Peni had vanished, they managed to reopen that door.

She was greeted by an anxious Liz and a very disappointed Mr. Warren who stood there with his hands on his large size, tapping his foot in impatience.

"Here she is, Mr." A maintenance guy said, holding a bunch of keys in his hand.

"Well, at least you didn't do much damage, Mr. Thompson. We will have a thorough talk about this! As for you, young lady, we told you not to leave the group. Ever!" Warren's neck was trembling for how much cross he was. Flash was in there next to his fat friend, sulking, probably annoyed that his prank had so little success.

"Sorry for that…" Everything felt weird, like trying to listen to a sound underwater. She followed the rest of the exhibit like on autopilot. She tried to listen to Liz and how much she was worried about her or something while her friend was shaking her lightly, trying to get a reaction; She wasn't listening, Peni was o hoping that her headache would end soon.

In fact, she was so focused on her ailment, that she didn't notice one of those mechanical spiders crawling into her bag, unknown to everyone lest Peni herself...The thing comfortably fell inside and waited while lodging itself against an algebra book.

* * *

Liz insisted to at least accompany her to her house once the bus finished its route. She stood there silently, with Liz tending at her side. All the time she was focused onThe Parkers had a small house, but with its dignity. It was placed in not the most elegant neighborhood, but they could've done worse. Uncle Ben always said he would take Queens over Hell's Kitchen any day.

"If you need anything, I'm here, you know." Liz said, very close to carry the weakened Peni in her arms if needed to be.

"I'll be fine. Thanks, though." She pushed herself to turn around and give her friend the tightest hug she could muster.

A middle-aged man came from out of the door. He was well built and wore his grey hair in a ponytail. An embarrassing reminder of being a former hippie according to Peni, a statement according to Ben. Still. In time Peni had come to think that he looked cool with that, no matter what everyone else said. He was calmly sipping from a cup of coffee as he looked at the two girls.

"Welcome back, Peni."

"Hey, Uncle Ben." She weakly waved at him. Ben caressed her head, ruffling Peni's already wild mane.

"Hello, Mr. Parker." Liz greeted him.

"Oh, hi, Liz. So, how was the school trip?"

"It was pretty cool, but now I need to hit the hay. We both do. Peni is absolutely drained and-" Peni gave her a quick nudge with her elbow. "Other than that, yeah, it was pretty cool."

"What did the hay do to you?" Ben said.

Peni snorted a weak laugh. "Hilarious, but I'm exhausted. See you tomorrow, Liz."

"Bye, Peni!" She waved goodbye at Liz and watched her go her way back to the bus.

Peni entered her house and took her shoes off, noticing the immaculately clean floor. She didn't want Aunt May's hard work to go to waste. Her head was still faintly spinning, but a familiar place was helping her to get back at reality. She took a deep breath of the old Parker's air and her brain finally registered she was at hom.

"Is everything all right, Peni?" Ben took a sip of his coffee and looked down at her niece. "Did something happen on the way there?"

"More rather during the trip. Also, at the Oscorp lab. Flash happened. Yet again."

"Hope you didn't kick him in the shins this time. You're better than that, Peni."

"Nah. I just bit him this time. "

"Oh, dear…" The man looked very dour at that. Peni's blood froze up and gulped loudly while waiting for his reaction. She mentally prepared herself for a well-deserved chewing out.

"Now he's going to turn into you!" The two burst out laughing, and Ben playfully ruffled her hair while she hugged him.

"Back in my day if a boy did that, it meant they liked you!" Peni heard a voice coming from the living room.

She spotted Aunt May watching television and from the looks of it, very into it; She spotted her brown hair with a few grey steaks poking from behind the sofa. She signaled Ben to stay quiet and tiptoed her way towards her aunt, not making a sound. She snickered as she prepared herself to pounce and hug her from behind until May lifted a finger to stop her.

"Ah ah. Not today, Missy." May's finger pointed at the ground,as if she was ordering Peni to sit and behave.

"Aw, come on." Peni rolled her eyes and lazily hugged her anyway. "How did you know?"

"Your uncle does that every day. You got it from him." May turned from playful to worried in one second after she touched Peni's forehead. "Peni, dear, are you feeling well? You're really hot."

"Awwww, thanks, you're cute, too."

May frowned and then rolled her eyes. "I'm not joking. Did something happen in there?"

"Nah, it's just that I need some rest. I have a busy life and stuff. " Peni shoved her hand away and ran to her room. "Love you guys!"

"Hey, if you're feeling any better you could help me finish that code!" Peni nodded on her way and slammed the door. "Hope she's all right."

"That girl makes me worried." She said, turning off the television. "You think she's hiding something?"

"She is a teenager. _Of_ course she is hiding something. She was right about something, though." Ben took one long sip and finally finished his coffee. "You _are_ cute."

"Oh, you rascal!" She giggled and stood on her toes to reach out and kiss him on the lips.

* * *

She was alone in the darkness.

Peni had no idea how she got there, but she already knew she didn't like that one bit. One minute she was laying on her bed and when her eyes opened, she was right in the third act of Interstellar. There was complete darkness yet she could see the light at the end of the tunnel. At first, she assumed she was dead, but the place was so unnaturally cold it reassured her of the contrary: The dead don't feel cold.

Peni wandered in the dark for a while, looking for an exit. She felt something under her foot on the way. She looked down to see she was walking on a strand that started vibrating. The light enveloped the room to reveal she was standing in a giant spider web, its whole length trembling and spreading the vibrations all over it. She tried to run, but her clothes stuck against the web.

A giant red spider stepped down, crawling on the web. She opened her mouth to scream, but something oily and black and red was crawling on her skin, covering her completely. She felt it all over the body, even on her eyes, and yet she was still able to see, even if it felt like she was wearing a one-piece helmet, encasing her head.

The spider opened his maw and said: "You who are us, it is time…" It was a gentle, almost soothing voice, but she still writhed in fear, trying in vain to wiggle out of the way.

* * *

It lunged at her and bit her neck.

Peni woke up on the ceiling.

"I hope that this time, Michael, I'll be shown some results."

"I, uhm…" Michael Morbius stammered. It never happened to him often, he didn't have the energy for it, but Osborn just instilled in him a good measure of terror. The scientist cleared his voice and grasped at his cane, steeling himself on his feet. "This time, Mr. Osborn, we are ready for going to the next level. The Oz formula is complete. But let us do a few more tests before experimenting on humans."

"You think you have the time for that, Michael?" Osborn smiled, and Morbius's veins trembled with rage. That man had presented him an opportunity, and the pay was undoubtedly good, but the sheer unease that man gave to him made him almost doubt his resolve.

There was someone else that was relying on him — someone he couldn't bear the thought to leave alone. He wasn't ready for that.

He thought about Martine's gentle eyes and reasoned that "almost" was enough. He was feeling weaker at every breath and realized that maybe he had to swallow that pride of his. He had to dare: For both their sakes. His time on Earth was too brief, even if filled with so much joy.

"The Sp/Dr line is defective. Maybe we should just terminate the experiment. So far, they haven't bonded with any subject, and if they did, it was for a very brief time before they ceased to, well, function." He pointed to a series of cages holding each one the body of a rat. The animals were unmoving, enveloped in a cocoon-like blue substance. Some of them suffocated, others were simply strangled from the inside out, and a few unfortunate others tried to gnaw themselves out the cocoon, bleeding to death. "We should gather more data or just pull the plug on the project altogether."

"Such a shame. I would've preferred a less invasive procedure, but it had potential. That project goes way back. Did you know that, Michael? It was the legacy of a great mind. There were few like him." Osborn sighed and Morbius could've sworn there was some...Calling it empathy would've been too much, but genuine admiration was close to it. "I hope we can fare better with the serum."

"We've managed to replicate the N-zone radiation signature. The compound does seem a little more stable, but I would wait for more data and-"

"More data, more data." He scoffed. "Do you think that Prometheus waited for more data before stealing the fire from Mount Olympus? Or did he seize the moment, elevating humanity from the mud? Do I need to remind you, Michael, that you won't be the only one to benefit from this procedure? It would help if you were grateful that I'd let you be the _second_ of a new kind. Now, get me the serum and be done with it." He started to slowly and methodically remove his jacket and shirt before stepping in the containment chamber.

Morbius obeyed and started the preparations. He typed the security code and opened the electric lock holding the vial. "Need I remind you of the collateral effects, Norman? The test subjects are stronger and smarter, yes...They were for about two days: They tore themselves apart."

"We don't have much time, Michael." Osborn growled. "Give me the serum or I'll do it myself." Michael sighed and complied, pressing a button the activate the machinery.

A series of mechanical straps tied the industrial to the metal surface to keep him still. He received a shot of anesthetic from a mechanical arm before Morbius loaded the Oz serum in the machine. Osborn just stood there, eerily calm while waiting. It was a bright green concoction that made his hands tremble as he felt the warm glow from the glass. Osborn was soon encased into a metal cocoon before four injectors found their way into his body. All of this without making a scream. He pressed another button to activate the radiation emitters, their whirring noise so loud he couldn't hear his thoughts. They positioned at the capsule's sides and began the irradiation procedure, jumpstarting the serum's power. He checked Osborn's vitals and registered some fluctuations before slowly adjusting the radiation flux. He had to be careful not to overdo it, lest it would cause irreparable damage to his cells.

It was quite simple on paper: Synthesize and replicate the same conditions in which Richard's experiment took place. They distilled the serum from the microorganisms contained in that same soil where the experiment took place and bombard them with a similar energy signature to modify the subject's genome. Osborn had reasoned a purer sample would do the trick faster, while Michael proposed using a proxy to inoculate the genetic material in a living subject. Those proxies would be selected by various animals and, with that, graft onto a subject the desired genetic sequence.

In a way, Osborn was playing it safe, even if with less than stellar precedents.

With that, Norman started screaming. An absolutely inhuman howl, so loud he could hear his vocal cords being stretched and snapping one by one as his body trashed in the capsule.

At first, Michael was hurrying to try and stop the whole procedure down to save his employer's life, but then the screaming stopped...And laughter replaced it.

A shriek, horrifying laughter echoed in the lab that grew more manic every second. Michael hurried to the mechanical shell, but before he opened it, it started to waste away. He caught a glimpse of evil red eyes as the metal melted like wax and a column of hellfire erupted from it. Morbius coughed and screamed as the flash nearly blinded, and the scientist dropped his cane, stumbling all over the place. He covered his mouth with one arm and tried to pry open the capsule in a last-ditch, but a scaly and muscular green arm lunged from the containment unit and hit him sharply in the chest. He felt something explode inside and flew to the other side of the room. His blood was soon spilling on the clean white floor, making a slowly growing stain.

He felt life slowly seeping out of his wounds and tried to cling to his life with every frantic breath. He reached weakly for the cane before he closed his eyes, yearning from some rest. "Martine…" He sobbed, trying to claw his way out of the lab. His heart was beating so fast he could feel his ribcage cracking, before realizing that his sternum had cracked in half.

Before he closed his eyes, he heard some heavy steps coming towards him. A shadow with bright red eyes was looming over him. The figure flashed a cruel, toothy grin above him and his clawed hand grasped him by the hair. He shook his gangly figure like a rag doll. What was Osborn then, he had no idea: Certainly he wasn't human anymore. It was an enormous, muscled green demon with red glowing eyes. Perfect in its hideousness.

"Don't die on me, Michael." He retched another evil laugh in his face, letting him see the fires dancing in his toothy mouth. "It's time for your cure now!"

He finally passed out and at the mercy of the demon. The last thing he heard with the last bit of conscious ness he had was the whirring of a machine.

* * *

"Ok, Peni...Now you calm down. You're not, I repeat, you're _not_ clinging to the ceiling." She closed her eyes shut, and when she reopened them, she was still on the ceiling.

She screamed, and she lost her grip, causing her to plummet on the ground. Before she hit the floor, she instinctively backflipped and landed perfectly on her feet. "What...What the hell was that…?" She looked at her hands, and nothing had changed. She didn't feel any pain, and the fever was now gone. She touched behind her neck and noticed that not only that bite stopped hurting, but there was no sign of it whatsoever; If anything her skin was smoother than before. At first, the girl thought it must've been part of her dream, but her Feynman poster was looking at her straight in the eyes.

The scientific methods demanded proof, after all.

She placed one hand on the wall, and to her surprise, it didn't stick. With some hesitation, she clung her feet as well and then the other. To her surprise, she was already crawling on the wall and then back on the ceiling, one hand and foot after the other.

As she looked at her bedroom from above a wide smile spread to her face. With tears in her eyes, she started laughing, a new kind of energy propagating to the core of her very being. "Ok...Ok!" She giggled once more, panic taking joy's place. "You can climb on walls! Also, do backflips now! That's normal! That's very normal! Right?" She looked at her reflection hoping it didn't answer. A messy-haired girl with frightened eyes stared back at her.

"Peni? Are you ok?" It was Aunt May's voice coming from the other side of her door.

"Y-yeah!"

"Who are you talking to?"

"It was, uh, Liz! I'm on the phone. I mean, I'm leaving an audio. Yeah!"

"Can I come in?"

"No! You can't!" Peni wished she could punch her own face. She let go of her hands and was now dangling from the ceiling with only her feet securing her from a fall.

"What? Why is that? Are you all right?"

"I'm...Naked! Completely naked!"

"You don't have anything I didn't saw already, Peni. Open that door."

Peni then realized that maybe she should've locked the door. As it slowly opened in front of her, she started to ask herself what kind of excuses could she make for dangling on the ceiling and, especially, for _not_ being naked.

"Peni? Where are you?" May looked left and right, trying to find her niece. To Peni's relief and immense irritation, she wasn't tall enough for May to notice her in that awkward position unless she looked up. Whether she should've thanked the universe or swear bloody revenge at the sky was still up to debate. "Is this a joke? 'Cause I don't like it!" Peni jumped down and made very little noise.

"Hi, Aunt May!" She tried to sound as chipper and normal as a wall-crawling girl could sound. Not that much, but enough,

"W-Wha'?" May turned around. "Where were you?"

"Uh...In here?" She shrugged, flashing a sheepy smile."

"Were you hiding from me?"

"Nope, I'm just short."

"Ok, who are you and what have you done to my niece? You punched the last girl who called you like that."

"Well, it's just the truth." She giggled nervously.

May placed a hand on her Peni's forehead. "Well, the fever seems to be gone. And you're not even late for school. You're sure you're not a pod person or something?"

"...Maybe?"

May laughed. "Well, a pod person would never admit that. Come on. Breakfast is ready."

Peni dressed as May left the room and she was still not sure it was not a dream. She made sure May was already downstairs and straight up ran on the wall before hopping on the railing and sliding down to the first floor. She bounced back on and did a little bow before heading to the kitchen. Ben was on the phone and stopped talking for a few seconds as he looked in amazement. His face grew dour and turned his back, carrying on with the conversation. "Come on, Sal, you can't do that. They can't get rid of me! We're both on the same boat! Well, tell Mr. Hammer he can go sc-"

"What's for breakfast, Aunt May?" Peni purposefully raised her voice to not listen to Ben's conversation. It seemed rude and also she didn't want to listen to serious stuff. Her stomach was grumbling, and Peni had never felt that hungry in her short life. "I'm staaaarving." She whined.

"Here you go." She served her a tall and soft pancake. "Never say I never do anything nice for you." The moment she turned, she heard a very loud belch and an empty plate. "Peni!"

"S-sorry…" To her surprise, she had stuffed her mouth full of pancakes and devoured them in one split second. Her mouth was dripping of blueberries, and yet she didn't feel full yet. "Can I have some more?"

"Well, you're a growing kid...Just let me turn on the stove." May realized that Peni leaped from her seat and started assaulting the pantry. "Peni?"

"I'll eat these while I wait!" Like possessed she started pouring an entire jar of strawberry jam on each loaf of bread and devoured those as well. She couldn't stop stuffing herself with food, and yet, at each bite, she needed more of it. She started scraping the last drops of marmalade from the bottom of the jar before heading to the fridge. Her mouth started drooling when she saw the unspoiled stick of butter. Peni leaped to that and bit a huge chunk out of it.

"Peni, you do realize all that food _will_ come out of you, right?"

 _Systems recharged at 67% Initiating startup routine._

"Wait...What was that?" Peni swore she heard a voice in her head. It was gentle and soothing, but kind of...mechanical and remote like an answering machine or a girl working in a call center.

"I said that too much food will make you sick."

"Ifh inevitab'l" She burped after eating the entire stick in three bites and started eyeing the greek yogurt. She never liked it, but it never seemed so delicious before. She drank an entire cup like it was nothing while Aunt May pulled her away by force from the fridge and started dragging her to the front door.

"You'll lose your bus, honey. It would be best if you ate in the cafeteria. I think we pay them enough for it." While trying to get rid of Peni and her all-consuming maw, the girl noticed some envelopes standing on a nearby table.

Bills.

A crap load of them.

Before going out of the door, she noticed Uncle Ben sitting down with a dejected look on his face. She planted her feet down and turned around to hug Aunt May. "You guys take care, all right?"

"W-We will?" She said softly.

Before Peni could digest or even comprehend the situation she had to understand, she realized that the bus was indeed there...Promptly passing by her place at full speed. "Wake up a little earlier, Parker!" The moment she saw Flash poking his ugly blonde out of the window she knew it was on. She ran again, this time faster than ever. In fact, she was so fast she started catching up to the bus and didn't even feel tired. Her tiny legs were pumping with no intention to stop. Perhaps it was the sheer rage coursing through her vein, or something bizarre really happened to her, but she had no time to dwell on the fact.

"Huh, Kenny, is she supposed to do that?" Flash asked, his laugh getting more and more desperate as Peni was getting closer. Peni's _teeth_ were closer as well.

"Don't think so, Flash."

"RRRRRRAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" She roared and moved even faster. Her legs weren't even hurting yet. The bus though started speeding up and, if Peni had seen an angry little girl coming at them roaring in the rear mirror, she wouldn't have blamed them, really. She threw her arm at it in a futile attempt to latch onto it...Until a tentacle came out of it. It hit the rear of the bus, and when her eyes moved all the way back to her arm to see that, yes, that came from her, she screamed in terror.

In fact, she got so scared that she jumped down and let go of the bus that went its merry way. Meanwhile, she was sitting there with a tentacle in the street in broad daylight in her own neighborhood. She ran away, dragging the tentacle around before anyone could see it. She still had no idea how fast she was going, but the moment she slipped away in a nearby alley to check out her bizarre condition, the tentacle was gone. Absorbed back into her skin without a trace.

"What...What's going on?" She touched her arms and legs and clothes, looking for any foreign objects, with no results. "What's happening to me?"

 _SP/Dr protocol initiated._

That voice ringed inside her head once again.

Before she could ask who it was and what was doing in her head, she felt something crawling over spine and arms. A smooth, cold liquid that made her skin crawl. Her joints clicked and grew a few inches taller while some kind of shell now covered her head. Soon, she was enveloped in a viscous substance. It had the smell and feel of that same substance in her dream and was tepid at the touch. While wearing it, she felt stronger, faster and more confused than ever. She looked at her spindly, mechanical hands and squeezed them in a pair of fists as something entirely new was now within her.

"Oh, crud…"

* * *

Author's Notes: At first, I was thinking about just using Peter Parker and play it safe. The, the Spiderverse trailer happened. And the Venom movie happened. A lot happened in this overly long break I took , but I'm glad they happened.


	6. The Web-Slingers 02

Maybe it was a case of really skewed priorities, panic or a way to distract herself from all the madness, but the first thing that Peni wanted to ask was: "Why does this suit feel like a giant wedgie?"

Whatever had covered her skin, though, wasn't particularly gross to the touch. She managed to breathe like usual, and it followed her every movement, but she couldn't help to feel weird inside it. "What...What the hell is this?" She touched her hands that were now spindly and mechanical looking with a red handguard. She looked down to see that her legs too had a similar motif. "Is this some kind of armor? Is that it." She touched her head, passing her fingers over a smooth, curved surface like a helmet covering her face. She tapped her temple a few times, and a series of numbers and statistics appeared in the left corner of her vision. "Are these...Vitals?"

 _Correct. Your heart rate is slightly above the norm._

"It talked again!" She turned back only to see nothing around. "Where are you?!"

 _I'm part of your subroutines, Peni. I am an Sp/Dr unit-  
_

"No, no, no, no! I'm not listening! Just get me out of here!"

 _Acknowledged._

Peni threw her arms in the air and frustration, and to her surprise, a tentacle shot out of it again. It stuck to the surface of a wall, and she swung all the way up, her hands and feet adhering perfectly to its surface. "Whoah!"

 _We can do much more than that._

"Ok, yes, but how?" She scratched her own face, trying to take off her mask. "How does this thing work?

 _Focus on your desired function._

"I wish you'd stop being so cryptic."

 _Think, therefore it is._

She closed her eyes shut and thought really hard about feeling the wind and the sun on her face again...Which promptly happened when the helmet liquefied and was reabsorbed by her costume's collar. "Oh hey, that worked…"

 _I'd suggest you now cover your face. You may wish to protect your identity._

"Crap, right, sorry." She concentrated again, and the helmet came again into being. "Just who are you?" Peni asked while climbing on the building. She was even faster than she was without the costume. Her whole body throbbed with energy. She reached the top of the small building and sat on the ground. She threw a glance at the parameters and put together some info: She did recognize some of her vitals as she could see her heart rate going steady, but as for the rest no clue. At every movement, they seemed to shift and change.

 _I am Sp/Dr. You are Peni Parker. We are one._

"Ok, but what are you? What does that mean? I can't even see your face."

 _I don't have a face in the general sense, but I do have an interface._

Something crawled on her shoulder and Peni recognized it as some of those little spider drones. "Oh my gosh...Like the ones at Oscorp! And my dream?! How is this even possible?"

 _Your mind may have interpreted our bonding procedure in a way that you could understand._

"Bonding? Does that mean I'm stuck with you?"

 _Correct._

"Ugh. What are you, some kind of...Parasite?"

The spider jumped on its legs, clicking its mechanical mandibles. The girl could've sworn it looked annoyed at the suggestion.

 _It's an unfair comparison. Our relationship is mutually beneficial. Your augmented abilities are proof of that.  
_

"Yeah, right, sorry, crawling on walls and jumping is pretty cool. My bad. What else can I do, though?"

 _The suit's organic matter has a degree of self-replication. We can use it to create appendages and augment your mobility and speed.  
_

"So...Like swinging from a tendril or something? This is completely crazy but…" Peni threw her arm at a nearby building. Nothing happened. The sun reflected in a thousand windows shone with even brighter intensity to mock her. "...Activation!"

No answer from the spider yet. It was okay: She wanted to figure it out herself.

"Spider Ring, do your thing?" She threw both arms forward. Nothing happened.

"Web Bending style!" She waved her arms around. Even less than nothing happened.

"By the Honour of Greyskull!" She dispassionately shook her wrist. Nothing would've been a result.

No results.

Peni hunched over and grumbled. She slapped at her wrist in frustration. "Come on, you just did that a minute ago…" After one more stroke, a sticky and clear strand of fluid shot from her wrist. She clenched her fist, and something clicked in her head; She pointed her hand at the building and extended her index and pinky finger, pressing with her other two at the center of her palm. She ejected one long strand that stuck with a clear and resonant _twhip_ on a window.

Peni took a deep breath, put her helmet back on, and grabbed the improvised rope with both hands. "Here it goes…" She ran and jumped over the building, the parameters going entirely off as she started her insane stunt. She steeled herself the moment she hit the air, her hands squeezing the rope tight, her whole body tensing as she let herself swing forward to her destiny…

And then, promptly hitting a glass window face first.

"Ouch."

She slowly slid off the window as gravity took her.

* * *

"Alright. Let's try that again. This time with an easier stunt." As she stood hunched over on a small apartment building, this time she took a closer look at her parameters. She calculated the distance between her location and little convenience store right in front of it, the speed of her wind and what deduced was her own weight. Peni took a deep breath and jumped, stuck her web on another nearby building and praying really.

Before she noticed, she was on the other side of the building, safe and sound and barely made a noise. She looked down to see her costume's legs had become longer and her boots three-toed to absorb the impact of landing better. "I knew it! I can redistribute the biomass!" She clicked her metaphorical heels, morphing them in a more form-fitting shape.

 _Excellent work, Peni._

"Ok, Spider-"

 _Sp/Dr_

"Same thing. So, let's talk a bit. I want to know you better if we have to be...Neighbors? Pals? Partners? Whatever." She laid down on the roof, arms crossed behind her head, to take a moment and enjoy the sun. "Where do you come from? What are you exactly?" She lifted one arm, allowing Sp/Dr to rest on her fingers.

 _I am a biological processor. An AI developed by Oscorp industries to bond and augment human subjects. I have no other memories beyond that._

"Really? Don't you have a family? There were plenty of other yous in that lab."

 _We are part of a hive mind, but once I bonded to you, I've become part of something else. I was born the moment this interface bonded to you. I have no connection to the hive mind anymore. I am me.  
_

"Oh...So you're young. Younger than me! Just like some kind of baby brother?" She chuckled. "What, are we going to divide our room? My side, your side, kind of thing?"

 _If you like it to see it that way.  
_

"What is your purpose, though? Why were you created?"

The spider stopped on its track and looked down.

"Sp/Dr?"

 _I don't have one. Not beyond my own preservation and yours. I was created for my host. You are my host. What is our purpose?_

"Well, you got me in a box here. I didn't think about since...Since ever, actually." Peni sulked, hugging her knees. For all her life, Peni Parker just wanted to be a normal kid. She had way above average votes, caused as few troubles as her patience or bullies allowed, found one great friend, a family that loved her and took her in and never asking for anything in return. She felt something lacking though. An empty void and a similar lack of purpose. They told her time and time again that adolescence was the moment one found out their place in the world or at least realized he had to found one. They told her it was sudden, confusing and beautiful.

Two out of three weren't bad.

"You don't happen to know _why_ Oscorp had the need of something like you, right?"

 _The survival of my host. At all costs._

"This does not sound shady at all, but you know what? If we are in this together…" She turned towards the spider sitting on her shoulder and held her clenched fist in front of it. "Partners?"

The spider hesitantly studied her gesture before gently tapping one leg on Peni's fist.

 _Partners._

Peni chuckled and got back on her feet. Being so focused on her new partner, she forgot the most mundane yet still important stuff. "Hey, Sp/Dr?"

 _Yes, Peni?_

"I just realized that I have missed the bus again."

 _Indeed. But you can still catch up to it._

That was the second time that year the New Yorkers marveled at the sight of a new superpowered being. This one was clad in red and black and swung from building to building free and unfettered. If they could've seen the face behind that mask, they would've seen a girl crying tears of joy for how free and unfettered she was. There was a certain primal pleasure in swinging that way; She wasn't the most athletic girl or the strongest, and now her body was as fast as her mind. In a way, she felt fulfilled as she finally understood the suit's calculations, which allowed her to calculate every trajectory, every possible course. It was exhausting for the body and the mind, but by Odin, it felt great! She jumped and swung and, and she never wanted to get down from there.

She decided to swing a little lower to the ground, showing herself off to everyone. As if on cue, dozens of smartphones were whipped out. Soon, the internet would know her, and frankly, she was getting a rush out of it. Maybe she had to think up a name: No one would've cared for plain, old Peni Parker, but what about a colorful moniker?

She had to think about it a little, but it had to be something amazing...

That was when she felt an intense tingling at the back of her head.

Time slowed down, and the very sounds of the city were distorted. A flock of pigeons was frozen in time like some kind of absurdist statue. A metallic growl was getting closer every second as she looked around, very confused by the gallery of figures that replaced the crowd. "Uuuuh, Sp/Dr? Is that supposed to happen?" She turned around to see a truck a few inches from her face.

On the bright side, she could finally see her mask reflected on the glass. It would've been a terrible last impression to the world if she hadn't been able to somersault over the truck and land of its roof. "H-holy crap! How am I alive?!"

 _This suit allows augmented awareness of your surroundings and/or imminent dangers. This interface then boosts your reaction time and physical prowess to avoid it._

"So...Some kind of Sp/Dr sense?"

 _It's a fitting designation._

"You know, you're supportive. I like that."

 _You are my host. We are partners._

Peni looked down to see that unlike in the movies, truck drivers did realize when somebody was standing over their vehicle and shook a menacing fist at her. She flashed an awkward smile under her mask and then swung away from the scene. She had made enough of a spectacle and headed to Midtown High's roof. Lucky, that truck was heading in its general direction.

Her landings were still a little sloppy, though.

At least her face was very well protected when she hit the floor.

"Ouch."

 _I believe you should reduce your speed when you land, Peni._

"I'll make a note of that." She felt herself up, trying to find a notebook or something in her suit. "Oh wait, I'm supposed to think about it really hard." She closed her eyes shut, and the costume promptly vanished, leaving behind her usual blue tartan gown and shirt. Her hair was already messy before she put the mask on. "Hey, it worked."

 _Were you afraid it wouldn't? Our subroutines are running optimally._

"Hey, it's not that I don't trust you, Sp/Dr. It's new to me as well. And speaking of running!" She proceeded to do so as she literally leaped through the door and the stairs. All that everyone in the hallways saw a spikey haired missile.

"So, two identical cars collide head-on. Each car is traveling at 100 km/h. The impact force on each car is the same as hitting a solid wall at what speed? Can anyone answer that? Anyone?"

Peni slid past the door. Then ran back there to her class and hung onto a hinge, panting all the while. "It's...The same speed…" She wasn't, but she had at least to keep up the illusion. "They dissipate the momentum…" She congratulated herself and seated next to Liz, as always. She tried her best to hide her smirk and already thought u about her Academy Award acceptance speed.

"Correct, Miss Parker. Despite being fashionably late as always." Warren turned around and was back at writing formulas on the board.

"How did you…?" Liz asked.

"Let's just say a friend gave me a lift." She patted at her bag, knowing that Sp/Dr was nice and cozy in there.

"I'm glad you're here. For a moment I thought you were on drugs." Liz blinked. "You're not on drugs, are you?"

"I'm high on life, Lizzy." She sneaked her fist below the desk for Liz to bump it.

"Isn't that the slang for cocaine? Or MGH?"

"The what now?"

"I 'unno." Liz looked shifty when she said that. "I just heard that name."

After the lesson, Peni started thinking about her new condition until she heard the sound of footsteps ambushing her near her locker. She felt a slight tingling at the back of her head and immediately after Flash slammed his hand against a nearby locker.

"Parrrrrker."

"Thompsonnnnn." She tried to make her best "Tough Flash" impression, glaring back at him like a cheap villain. "What brings you here?" She switched from menacing to chipper in a heartbeat and turned her back, trying to find a book.

"Don't try to act cute, Parker."

"So...You think I'm cute?"

"What? Ye-I mean, no! I mean, shut up! They told what happened to my dad because of you…" His hand slowly clenched into a fist, his knuckles pressing against the locker's door. Peni gulped, and the tingling got stronger than before.

"Sp/Dr, if you've got any advice now I'd like that…" She muttered.

"What are you blabbering about? I swear, I've never hit a girl before…"

"Listen, Flash, why don't we talk this out and-"

Flash roared, slamming close a locker, before lunging at her and then time stopped. Peni cowered, arms in front of her face before realizing she _wasn't_ smashed into a pulp.

Everything around her was utterly still: Two students were frozen as they looked at the scene with a horrified look; Someone had dropped a bottle of water eternally trapped in a spiraling fall; One more person fell down and was scrambling to get up while a couple of kids were taking a selfie with the boy in the background. Flash started moving and threw one very slow punch.

She cavalierly moved out of the way while she punched at her in slow motion. All the time she had a stupid grin on her face while she dodged the punch. Everything came back to normal, and from Flash's perspective, she must've moved like a flash. Of course, he wasn't going to give up so quickly and threw another punch. Peni ran out of the way, sliding between his knees, and his fist landed right on Kenny's face.

"Ouch! What the hell, man!" The taller boy said as he was holding his bloodied nose.

"I-I was aiming for Parker!"

"And ya got me, asshole!"

"I didn't mean it, man!"

While the two were discussing, Peni concentrated and wondered if she could shoot some web while unsuited. Judging from the strand of web from her wrists, she marked that as a success. She sneakily stuck one to Kenny's leg and pulled, making the behemoth squash Flash like a bug with his massive girth. She couldn't help but snicker when she heard Flash screaming like a girl as he squirmed under Ken's belly. She whistled her way out and skipped her merry way, with no one the wiser.

"You got some moves, Parker!"

She lifted one hand, expecting a high five, but they left her hanging to gawk at the two. She guessed nothing was perfect.

"Hey, about time you two came out of the closet."

"Get a room!"

"Shut up! Just shut up! And get off, you oaf!" Flash yelled as he tried to lift the very heavy classmate with little success.

 _Was that necessary, Peni?_

"No, but it felt good. Stick with me, Sp/Dr. We're going places."

* * *

 _Are you sure about this, Peni?_

"I told you I had a plan. This is going to be great." She was standing on a lamppost while fiddling with Youtube's setting. Peni wanted everything to be perfect and took a deep, scrutinizing look at her suit. While it looked practical and protected her body pretty well from impacts, it lacked a certain panache. She had to look good for the video. "Tell me, Sp/Dr: is there a way to modify the suit?"

 _If you wish so._

She concentrated, and she felt the suit over her skin growing tighter and shrinking. She lost a few inches in the process, but at least she looked as good as she wanted. Her bulky armor was replaced by a skin-tight red and dark blue costume. Her white lenses grew bigger and whiter, and she grew a small blue hoodie over her head. Sp/Dr sneaked to her chest to pose as insignia. Peni looked at her hands, and a hysterical laugh escaped her lips. "Oh, this gonna be good." With that, she started the recording.

"What's up, NY? This is your girl, Spider-Girl! How's it going? Today I'm goin' to show ya some mad stunts! And how you ask? I got the skills. mad skillz, yo!" She threw around and more couple of gansta signs and pounded on her chest. She then stopped the recording and lightly tapped on her insignia. "You think it's too much?"

 _Your vitals suggest even you found it irritating._

"Heh, good one." She flicked on the record button again. "So, hang on your seatbelts and get a good look on this, New York!"

She conjured a small tentacle to held the smartphone right in front of her and let her instincts do the was more of a testing ground that crazy idea: She saw how high she could jump, how many twirls she could do in the air and on how many surfaces she could adhere to.

The answer was _a lot_.

Her subscribers could enjoy a first-person view unlike any other. Every thought was translated into lightning fast motions as Spider-Girl swung through skyscrapers, surfed on pylons and even dived under long lines of cars, using her web to make the most exquisite compositions along the way. She also found out that her webbing did dissolve after an hour so she wouldn't get into much trouble with the hardworking sanitary operators of the city. She always found a certain peace in transient beauty, so everybody won that one.

Also, one of the best parts of video editing was the fact she could edit out the landings.

Yet, she didn't have much of a contact with her audience: Every time she went live she tried to keep herself distant, to add to her Mystique. She even tried to keep her comments on the channel to a minimum. Some loved her, some hated her, others called her a hack, others wanted to do things to her hoodie (comments she felt fit to remove), but the most important thing was she made people _talk_.

She made Liz talk, and that made her feel a little proud of that. Being the only friend of nerdy and cantankerous Peni Parker was something else.

She made Flash Thompson talk about her. She wished he would've shut up about it, but she found the irony amusing. There was one particular day where she came across him, all caught up in a video she finished shooting the day before.

"I mean, can you believe that, Kenny?" He basically shoved the screen on his taller friend's face.

"It's cool, yeah, but you'll poke my eye out."

Peni stopped before them, sporting the perkiest smile. In hindsight, she thought, it was the most punchable face ever, but she felt that it was worth it.

"What are you looking at, Parker?"

"Just passing to say 'Hi.'" She waved her hand at them as she walked past the two. "Hi!"

"Weirdo."

Creepy but amusing.

Luckily, the old janitor was a fan too, and he was a fun guy. He was a jolly looking old man with white hair and a thin mustache, sporting a pair of thick-rimmed glasses. He held his phone in one hand and the mop in the other, looking at her video with a pleasant smile. "I would lose the hoodie, but apart from that, she's got it. 'Nuff said!"

After a while, the spectacular Spider-Girl was an attraction. An unusual sight with a growing Youtube Channel on its way to becoming a phenomenon. Every time she appeared, one would have counted the people not lifting their head to look on the fingers of one hand.

With the fame, came the sponsors. Peni had managed to open a account with a fake name, and soon those bills on their bedside table would've shrunk to a smaller and smaller pile.

She had no idea how to make that work, how to tell them how she got the money and everything, but every cent helped. They gave her a home, and even if it was a difficult situation, she felt that her little dingy place with her aunt and her uncle was everything she needed.

It made her feel content. Maybe that was her purpose.

She hoped that maybe Sp/Dr too would find it too.

"I think she's a clown." May said as she snuggled up next to Ben on the couch. She tucked her blanket, stealing a few precious inches of it from Ben. The two of them wanted to finally check out the talk of the town on May's phone.

"She's good at what she does, at least. But seriously, 'My peeps?' Who the hell says that?! Peni?" He called. Peni poked her head out of her room upstairs.

"Yes, Uncle B?"

"Does anyone you know uses the term 'My peepsì?"

"'Course not. That would be ridiculous."

"See?"

"Later, my peeps."

The two looked at each other worriedly with Peni being none the wiser.

* * *

"See ya after school, Uncle Ben." Peni was perky that morning and opened the door, ready to face another day at Midtown with optimism. Sp7Dr was also feeling perky and felt him literally spazzing out in her bag.

"Yeah, see ya." Ben looked dejected, his gaze wandering on the steering wheel. Peni looked at him, opening the car's door but her hand still resting on the handle, one foot already on the sidewalk. "Peni?"

"Yeah?"

"Did I ever tell you about your father?"

Peni looked outside at the crowd of students gathering. She closed the car's door, figuring it worth it being late this time. "I have some vague memories, but most of the things I know, I learned them from you guys." She sighed. "That's all I have. I'd like to know more."

"Now, I don't exactly know what he did in life. 'Working for the government' may mean anything, but sometimes when I came to visit him, he had an empty look in his eyes. I don't know why and I won't judge him for any of it, but one night he said something important to me. Something that really stuck with me, you know?"

"What was it?"

"I heard about what happened at school. With that Thompson kid…"

"Oh…"

"Yeah. Liz is a good friend, but she does talk a lot."

"Crud."

"Now, if I were you I would've kicked his butt. Hell, if I'd been here, _I_ would've kicked his butt. But you're a girl…" he sighed. "I don't really know how that works. Maybe I should've asked May…I'm just an old fashioned guy, I don't know how that works, I just want to help you."

"I want to hear what _you_ think, though."

The man beamed warmly, before turning dead serious and looking Peni straight in the eyes. "Well,

"What was that thing that stuck with you, Uncle Ben?"

"Oh, yes. That one. The thing is he said that while he wasn't all that proud of what he did, that it was taking a huge toll on him, somebody had to do it. He said that with great powers must also come great responsibility."

These words held _meaning_. Peni felt dizzy just digesting them. It felt like there was some sort of cosmic coincidence once she heard them. It was something one must've lived by. Sadly, just like every important realization about life, it hit but not hard enough."...Wow." Her eyes wandered on the back seat, and she noticed that Sp/Dr was getting curious and started to crawl out of it. She barely restrained a squeak of pure fear as her Uncle kept talking.

"You're growing up, Peni. One day you will know what it means first hand. Richie wanted to tell you that himself, but that was my job. I hope that I didn't screw that up, at least."

Peni hugged him, and the man wrapped one arm around her chest. "I won't disappoint you, Uncle Ben." She did enjoy his hugs, but also getting Sp/Dr out of that bag and letting him crawl in her shirt unseen was also important.

"I know." The older man paused for a moment and looked down. "Remember that code we were working on it that time?"

"Yup."

"I trust you enough to know the truth. Your father worked on that. Well, part of that."

"Oh...I...I think I need some time to process that." She chuckled nervously. "Hey, I made a pun. I was trying to quit."

He still found that funny, as the man gently stroke her hair. "We'll talk about it when we'll have the chance." She gave him one last hug and stormed out of the car without a word.

Unfortunately, as she waved goodbye to him, Peni didn't go through the school doors. She tried to lose herself into the crowd and then sneak away the moment Uncle Ben's car was away enough. "Sorry, Uncle B." She snuck outside, to the gym's locker room so she could change into Spider-Girl. She webbed the security cameras and did her thing, hoping no crook decided to wander in the girl's locker room in the last hour or so. A small, confused and mechanical spider popped out of her pocket and stuck itself on the wall as she changed.

 _Peni, you know that your Uncle will be upset if he finds out._

"I know, Sp/Dr. This is a big gig, though. Once I do that, everyone will know my name." The plan was simple: A stunt from the top of the Statue of Liberty, complete with a giant web made banner reading 'Spider-Girl was here.' Childish? Maybe. Awesome? Not a chance of doubt. All of New York would've known who she was. The sponsors would've killed to appear in her videos. Sponsors meant ad revenue. Ad revenue meant money. Money meant a happy family. A stable family.

At least that was the plan.

"Aw, crud...I need a charger." She shook her phone, hoping that 8% became an infinite %. She didn't expect it to happen, but it was worth a shot. Luckily, she saw a nearby store. She figured it was the time to make a public appearance. "Behold, Spider-Girl. She buys chargers like you! She's down to earth and stuff." She snickered. Peni swung her way to a nearby lamppost until she saw something peculiar: A man was running out of it, clad in black with a half-assed hoodie over his head to hide his face.

"Sp/Dr, enhance." She zoomed in to see that the man was holding a gun. The store clerk came out, a young man no more than twenty, running to catch the thief. He gave up after a few meters to catch his breath as the thug disapperead in the crowd. She grimly noted that criminals didn't even wait for the night those days.

"Hey!" he said, looking up at Spider-Girl perched on a street light. "You're that Spider...Person! You could've stopped that guy!"

She looked around then realized that, yes, the man was talking to her. "...It's not my job. I just needed a charger."

"We're out of them. Screw you." He walked back in the shop and slammed the door shut.

"...Rude."

The phone went dead that very moment. Was that some twisted karmic retribution?

Still, an entire day of work was wasted like that. She grumbled as she decided to at least take a stroll to kill some time and just swing her way to the Parker's. Hours passed by as she looked upon the streets of New York while sitting on top of a skyscraper. Once she decided to come back home, she heard the sound of sirens blaring from a patrol. The Queens were waking up, making her more difficult to find a quiet spot to change back into Peni Parker. Spider-Girl took the scenic route until she got in an alley and got out of her costume, going her merry way as nothing had changed. She used that time to think back on something bigger and more spectacular to make the next video and wondered where to go from there. She thought about Sp/Dr and thought about his nature, and the fact it was a whole new being. Perhaps she would've needed some partners or even a tech geek to take care of her equipment. Or Sp/Dr. The little guy was doing a lot of work, and her partner deserved some rest. Maybe once she had enough money to help her aunt and uncle, she could've saved up enough to get a crew of her own. Fame, wealth, maybe a starring role in a movie beside Simon Williams...

Her face pale and her blood froze up when she saw the police cars in front of her house, its red and blue lights flashing back and forth. She saw Aunt May on the porch, crying her eyes out with an officer next to her, trying to calm her down. She let go of her bag, spreading her textbooks all over the ground as she stood in place. Something primordial and terrible crawled up her spine. "Where's…" her voice cracked as a rivet of tears ran on her cheeks. Aunt May got up and hugged her, pulling Peni close to her chest. "Where's uncle Ben?"

🕷️

"Sp/Dr. Enhance." Peni crawled on the warehouse's wall and pressed herself on the large window. She took a scan of the area, and the suit system's calculated at least fifteen figures in there. It took her a while but her lead was solid, and she was sure that one of those men was definitely Adrian Toomes. From what she gathered, the man was a former engineer that reinvented himself as a professional thief and weapon dealer. He worked for a while for the Kingpin and did score upon score until that day. She grabbed the rusty frame and pulled it towards her, cracking it easily. She sneaked in and quickly crawled on the floor. With a quick thought, her suit grew darker to better blend in the shadows. From the ceiling, she had a perfect view of them.

Adrian Toomes was there, as she expected: He looked like he had passed middle age. He had a shaved head, blue eyes, and a cocky smirk. He was wearing a fur-necked bomber jacket while looking eerily calm, even amused while being surrounded by angry mobsters. Toomes had a cadre of six, maybe seven men, but he was just casually leaning on a desk, his men being expressionless masks.

"Ya got some guts, Toomes." The head honcho was a well-dressed man with a purple suit with a pair of a well-groomed mustache. He treated the whole thing casually, even pulling out a cigarette from a very expensive looking holder. "First, you get us those faulty weapons, then you don't even have the decency to try and leave town."

At his side, there was a taller fellow with pronounced sideburns and a cowboy hat and a well built, absolutely imposing, blonde man. He didn't look very bright, but the way he cracked his knuckles in anticipation meant business: His own allies looked visibly nervous at that display.

"What can I say?" Toomes said, with a note of facetiousness. "If my clients have complaints, I have to hear them myself. It's businesses 101, Dan."

"Yeah, well, we got some complaints, alright. You just fucked up weeks of planning with that cargo. Always known you were going to betray us: I had no idea you were going to be so blatant about it."

"Times are changing, Dan. I have a boss with a vision. The time to play cops and robbers is _over._ Tell that to Mr. Fisk once you see him."

"Never say that name out loud, pardner." The man with the cowboy hat stepped forward. "Boss cares for his privacy, ya follow me?" Peni zoomed in and saw that the man was very quietly caressing the hammer of the gun in his holster. It looked like he had a pair of old-timey revolvers and looking forward to using them. Peni's entire body sprung to attention as she felt the usual buzzing of her spider sense as background noise.

"As I said, the boss should learn to adapt or die."

"How about you die, smartass." The big guy walked forward, ready to squeeze Toomes' head like a grape, but Dan calmly raised his hand to signal him to stop.

"Tell me, Adrian…" Dan smirked. "How's your daughter, by the way?"

Silence fell over the whole warehouse. Toomes' smirk dropped dead, and his entire body language changed with that. He sprung back forward, clenching his fists. His eyes gleamed of pure hate. His men were finally showing some signs of actually being there, and tension was palpable in the room. In a few seconds, shots would've fired, teeth were going to fly out, and men were about to die. Dan evidently loved that feeling, and he had a pleased look on his face like he was tasting a fine wine. If he wanted to get something out of Toomes, he was happy with the results.

"My daughter?" Toomes flashed a smile once again, but it was something much sinister, threatening one. WIthout any emotions, like a shark searching for prey. "Let me tell you about my daughter!" He finally raised his voice, snarling as he sprung to action.

The Spider Sense was finally going berserk.

Toomes produced a weapon from his jacket and pointed it right at Dan's face. Before he pulled the trigger, Spider-Girl shot a strand of web and pulled the man up before he found himself with a new hole in his face. Toomes' weapon produced a beam of pure light that melted the warehouse's wall, making a hole in it complete with an incandescent border. Everyone looked up, and Peni enjoyed that one last second of calm before everyone in the room decided to resort to violence. The mobsters pulled out their weapons at her while Toomes cooly retreated and started fiddling with his gun, ordering his men with a gesture to take her of the situation.

"Hey, what's the big idea?!" Dan said, trying to yank himself out from the web. Peni dropped him on the ground like a sack of potatoes and jumped in, trying to do something about the situation. She dived right into the crowd, disarming one mobster with a well-placed web shot and whipping him with his own weapon. Normal humans compared to her looked like they were trying to swim in jelly. She dodged every bullet and clumsy punch coming her way, with plenty of time to react and not let anyone get a stray bullet in the face.

Really, they should've been thanking her.

Not to mention the fact she had to pull her punches or else they wouldn't have been able to walk ever again. She dreaded the day she'd have to go all out.

"Get her, Ox!" Dan yelled as he rolled on the ground, finally breaking free of her web. The big guy roared and charged at Spider-Girl. She somersaulted over the thug and landed on his back, his charge knocking out an unfortunate henchman. She wasn't particularly eager to test her resistance, but the mobster was knocked out cold in one blow, so she thought herself lucky.

"Get off me, ya freak!" The behemoth tried to grab her, but she retaliated by spraying some webs in his eyes and slip back down to knock him over with both legs to a group of unfortunate henchmen. They were swept off like pins, and the brute fell on his belly, cursing at their stupidity and his. She couldn't help but snicker and notice on her mask's screen her adrenaline level was shooting up to ridiculously high levels.

"Not so fast, freak." She heard the click of a gun. The cowboy had pointed his museum piece at her back. Peni sighed and rolled her eyes, mockingly raising her arms in surrender.

"First of all, get new material. I'd suggest webhead or even-"

"This doesn't concern ya."

"Rude. Also, this remake of Unforgiven was _not_ what I expected."

"I'm countin' to three." He took one step forward.

"I'm counting to 'I don't have time for this.'" She shot some web behind her and yanked the thug's gun out of his hands. She tried to jump out of the way, but he quickly retaliated by grabbing her arm with a lariat. A man that committed to a cowboy act must've been a maniac or really that good.

"Get her, Ox!"

The giant came back roaring, and while she was busy freeing herself from the lariat, he landed a quick uppercut to her side. Her vitals shot up as he sneaked another punch in. At least she had the suit, or else she'd already been on the ground crying "Uncle." Dan joined the fray and landed a quick kick in her face. "Nice one, Montana!" For being a somewhat small man, she felt that hit. This time her costume sared her from losing a teeth or two.

"Ouch!" She massaged the bruised spot. "You do know that you can't hit a girl?!"

"Not if the girl hits first." Dan said, clenching his fist, ready to strike again.

"Sorry, we ain't a book club." Montana joined in, tightening the lariat around her wrist.

"Oh, great. Progressive gangsters."

She concentrated, trying to ignore the barrage of fists, and her suit produced a whole bunch of tendrils that hit the three thugs square in their faces and chests, knocking them away from her. She yanked at the lariat still around her arm and brought the cowboy at punch's range. She hit him with a headbutt for a general principle and tried to find Toomes. She saw that he hadn't escaped, but took advantage of the situation to press a button hidden on the desk. A huge and massively hi-tech workstation came out of a trapdoor, holding a spectacular set of mechanical wings. They were sporting large turbines in the middle and had a very nasty looking set of blades at the end of it, in place of mere feathers. The equipment came with something that looked protective armor for the legs, complete with hydraulic powered talons for feet. Toomes started climbing on it and equip his gear. "Take care of her. I'm changing into my best suit."

One of Toomes' henchmen joined into the fray and jumped right in front of Ox. He looked like a skinny twenty-something, but his eyes had a reddish hue. Ox roared and threw a punch, but the henchmen quickly intercepted it with one and landed a quick uppercut that hit with such force to break his bone and make it stick out of his skin. Peni herself squirmed in pain at the sight of that. Ox fell on his knees in pain, and the cowboy quickly muttered a cuss word before pointing his gun at him. The henchmen moved at such speed Montana realized too late he was right in his face. Before his fingers reached Montana's throat to squeeze it, Peni webbed his fist up and yanked it away from the thug.

"Doesn't change anythin'!" Montana yelled as the man prepared to fire at the thug. She jammed his gun with some web before he could shoot it for his troubles. With some extra serving of web right in his mouth for the ungratefulness. _No one_ was dying on her watch. She diverted her attention on the augmented henchmen, which he reacted with surprising speed, and hit her with a backhand strike that sent her flying. Spider-Girl adjusted herself in mid-flight and quickly stuck to the wall.

"Whoa, there...Green, angry guy! Why don't we just take a seat, I'll brew some tea and-"Another henchman popped out of nowhere and threw a punch at her. She moved out of the way only to see the man punching a hole in the wall. "Ok, _other_ green angry guy, why don't we-" Before she could finish, another one threw a cabinet at her. She jumped over it and created a web in which the impromptu projectile got stuck before hitting Dan. Spider-Girl didn't even listen to his ungrateful spiel and turned her full attention on them. She stepped down and faced the most dangerous foes.

"You know what? You don't deserve my best material." She punched one of them square in the face, getting only a bloodied nose for her troubles. The henchman didn't even budge and retaliated with a kick right to her sternum. She intercepted it with a tendril and pulled the mook in the air, launching it towards the one that was coming charging at her. "Alright, now I really want to know what your mama is feeding you with! And don't you dare roar at me one more time!"

They roared at her one more time.

Despite their rudeness, though, she found them pretty unnerving. What was going on with those henchmen? It was very much possible they'd been augmented in the same way as her, but they lacked higher functions and free will. Everything that made them human. Just a pack of attack dogs. She felt a deep sadness in her heart at their fate and swore that maybe, just maybe, she would've found a cure for that condition. Even if she had to kick their teeth in to do that. She clenched her fist and was ready to go at it one more round, but not before asking a question. "Sp/Dr? Can you analyze their blood? I still got some on my knuckles." Three small holes opened on the back of her hand and sucked up the infected blood, adding one more string of parameters to her interface.

 _Acknowledged. It will take a while though._

"You do that. Meanwhile, I'll-" Her Spider Sense had never gone off that strong before. It barely gave her the time to mutter a resigned "crap" before Toomes came at her, in full regalia, tackling her at full speed. The two came out crashing the roof's window and flew away in the night sky. On the bright side, there was a full moon out there. She had to take pleasure in the little things.

"Little girl got guts!" He yelled. The weapon dealer was wearing a mask with full on protecting goggles. His voice came out distorted and mechanical while his eyes glowed yellow at her, looking like some kind of mechanical monster. For a man of his age he was well built and had a firm grip, no doubt helped by the air resistance dancing the rumba on her back. She pushed herself to move out of the way and landed a few punches at his face.

"Part! Of! My! Charm!" She spat out every word with each punch and concluded with a kick on Toomes' chin. The criminal finally let her go. With horror, she realized he had taken advantage of her own strength to throw her at a nearby building. She quickly attached herself to the side of the building and swung face front towards Toomes, hoping to hit him with another quick kick. The villain unfolded his wing blades and came at Spider-Girl at full speed. Just as she prepared to strike, he dodged her and flew upwards, using to blades to cut her tendril and make her fall or at least get her away from him.

"Crud, he's smart…" She grumbled before aiming at another window and create another strand of web. Before she knew, Toomes was already there, hitting her with the side of his wing. She felt that and bit her lip to not scream in pain. She wasn't going to give him the satisfaction. This time, she didn't lose track of her enemy and swung towards a nearby neon billboard. She tried to blend in on the garish surface to gain a few seconds to catch her breath.

"You should've stuck to Youtube, kid. My daughter loved that stuff!" She waited for those to fly nearby before jumping on his back. The turbines were loud and looked like they would suck her up and rip her to pieces if she made a wrong step.

"Well, maybe I should make a comeback! Though I wouldn't want her to see me drag her dad to jail." She shot some web inside a turbine, which quickly sputtered out and stopped. Toomes looked furious at that. Her Spider Sense graciously alerted her of that, allowing her to get off of him.

"Now you've done it!" He started falling, but before that, he quickly turned towards Peni with a submachine gun in his hand.

"Oh, come on!" She yelled and dodged the first burst of rounds. Toomes tried to lose her between a pair of small buildings with Peni following suit. "Look, mister, I just have some questions. Maybe if we sat down and tried to reason-"

"You already used that joke!" Somehow, he sounded more offended by that rather than her own persistence.

"Well, I'm just glad you didn't shoot me with a laser this time."

"You ain't worth another cartridge."

 _Ouch._

"Quiet, Sp/Dr."

Toomes pulled hard on a lever on his backside and the jammed turbine roared with newfound power, spitting out her torn up web, allowing Toomes to charge again at full speed. His blades sliced up the side of a building and _barely_ missed her head. She had to tank another blunt strike from his wings, but it was an acceptable sacrifice. This time, she went for the offensive and attached her webs right at Toomes' feet. He started dragging her with him higher and higher. He was so fast that the city below started to get smaller and the air thinner. She then realized to have made a colossal mistake as Toomes didn't seem to go anywhere but up.

"How do you feel about high altitudes, webhead?!" Toomes chucked sinisterly.

"How do we feel about high altitudes, Sp/Dr?" She murmured.

 _I'd suggest you retreat._

As Sp/Dr said that, she could visibly see frost covering the sides of her hands and her goggles. She was not going to retreat without a fight, though: In a last-ditch, she shot a strand of web at Toomes' mask and pulled it with all her strength, making lever with her feet on his bulky chest. She let out a visceral scream and his protective mask snapped in half, allowing her to snatch away one half of it. Toomes screamed in pure anger and sliced up her web with a quick thrust of his talons.

Both of them were now falling to the ground at full speed. Toomes held his face, screaming in anger and pain while searching for a place to retreat. His flying gear was sputtering and roaring and the weapon dealer disappeared in a cloud of black, oily smoke. Peni reflected with some grim humor that if that contraption exploded on him, she would've been obliged to save him as well.

Figures.

 _It appears Toomes is escaping. We may be able to catch up to him._

"I would, but my everything hurts. I think he will kill me if I keep this up." She held the mask in her hand."But I think we can track him down...There are not many places to get the materials to maintain that gear. It's not over yet, Sp/Dr…" She bent over and held her stomach. "But could you send some endorphins my way while I bring us home?"

She swung her way to her little house and sneaked inside, making little noise as possible. She saw that Aunt May was still sleeping on the couch. Maybe it was the beating she got, but she couldn't remember one night she slept on the bed ever since...That happened. She tucked her in and kissed her forehead before she went to her room to get some sleep, but not before hiding the broken piece of the mask inside a small safe she purchased.

In the grand tradition of committing internet frauds, hers didn't go that far. She used that money to purchase that safe and nothing else.

She removed her costume and looked at the bruises and scrapes over her shoulders and back, hoping that Sp/Dr would fix that as usual. She felt somewhat guilty at having him do that much work every night. The fact he didn't seem to sleep didn't help.

That was for another day, though. A day where her everything didn't hurt. He had to ask for some advice about it. In the place where no one would've known.

* * *

"Hey, Uncle B."

Peni sat in front of the grave like shealways did and sighed. She removed some dust from the incision. It said:

 **BEN PARKER**

 **BELOVED HUSBAND AND UNCLE**

Sp/Dr slipped from out her sleeve and silently placed itself on the grave. There was no one around anyway that early in the morning. It was the perfect time to pay homage, and think, and sometimes just vent. "So...We're managing. I'm not that great at it, but we're managing. Me and Sp/Dr are quite the team. It's hard without you, though. Sometimes, I wonder what you'd say to me. Sometimes I wonder if you are proud of me. It's hard, you know?" She wrapped herself tighter in her jacket, hoping that a warm hand would comfort her. No one came to her side. " Every day it gets harder, but that's life. I have to do this, Uncle Ben. It's just like what you and dad said: From great power comes great responsibility. I do have some power and the responsibility part, well...Like I said, we're managing."

She touched her face to see that, yes, there was the usual stream of tears there. She wiped them off and steeled herself, imagining herself as a person her Uncle would be proud to look at.

"We miss you every day, but I tell you that every time I come here. I know we talked about responsibility, but, sometimes, there are things you just can't do alone. That sample I got from those crazy guys the other night? Got an element or two in common with Sp/Dr here, can you imagine that?" She looked back at her partner, noticing he was lowering his head in shame. She gently patted on his back to reassure him. "I may know what it is, but if there is a way to reverse it, well, that goes beyond me. And that's why I'm getting some help." She got up from the ground, Sp/Dr readily hopping back on her shoulder as the wind blew behind her back. "From the coolest scientist around here, that's not named Neil DeGrasse Tyson: It's time I paid a visit to the Fantastic Four."

* * *

Author's notes: Crossover time? Crossover time. Also, yes: That's Michael Keaton's Vulture. We are actually better people by having him.


	7. The First Family 05 The Web-Slingers 03

"If you have a plan, Storm, now it's the time to spill it out!" What Spider-Girl wasn't expecting that morning was dodging a barrage of invisible bullets right in the middle of Central Park. Her Spider Sense was stinging like crazy as she swung from tree to tree, trying not to get her head blown off. "Any minute now, Torch!"

"I said we would wing it!" The Human Torch raced to her side, leaving a trail of flames in his wake.

"Oh, we're still sticking to that?"

I'm winging it, right now!" Before Spider-Girl thought of a witty comeback, the couple were hit by a mighty invisible wall. The sheer force of the impact knocked the two on the ground, instantly extinguishing Johnny's flame.

"What do we do?" Spider-Girl said as she tried to spring herself up. Her sensors were going nuts, and the stinging pain she felt all over her body were kind of confirming that. She blinked several times to get rid of that dizziness while searching for the Human Torch. She saw him crawling on the ground, trying to reignite his flame as the Invisible Woman loomed over him. She was standing on an invisible platform, and her eyes glowed of sickly purple light. Peni turned to see at her right The Thing advancing with heavy steps, his blue eyes replaced by the same purple hue, cracking his knuckles as an evil grin spread to his face. Above them there was Mr. Fantastic, hoisting some kind of weapon over his shoulder with his outstretched hand and pointing it at the two heroes with a menacing hum. All three of them were surrounding the duo, ready to strike at any moment.

 _P-peni...B-be careful...We are…_

Sp/Dr's voice was cracking, and her own ears were ringing from the impact, leaving her alone but for her temporary companion. She looked at Johnny, waiting for an answer, any answer, on how to get out of that mess.

"...Try not to get killed!"

"Oh, no pressure then!"

* * *

 _Six hours earlier_

"...And then I said ta him 'That's not a penguin, that's my ma!" The behemoth bent over laughing, instinctively holding his belly.

Alicia started laughing as well, digging her fingers deeper in the mound of clay. "Oh, please, Ben! I'm trying to work here!" She felt up the surface of the statue and smoothened it up, quickly shaping it to look more like Ben's brow. The Thing himself was liking how it was coming up, even if he wasn't that much convinced of the pose.

"Ya know, Alicia, isn't it a little too much, uh, _heroic_?" Ben looked more like a Hercules or an Atlas, trying to hold the weight of the world on his shoulders. There was such an energy in the composition that he barely believed it to be in himself. He was just a kid from Yancy Street. A rock shaped, tons weighing, monster punching kid from Yancy Street, but still.

"There's no such thing as too much heroic, Ben. This is how you deserve to be seen."

"Uh, well…" Ben chuckled, looking at the ground. Whenever she said that he instinctively tried to adjust his hair. He felt a familiar blush around his cheek when he saw her pout and punch and mold the clay like there was anything else in the world. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." The girl stopped working and caressed the statue's jaw, her lifeless eyes shooting a glance at the real Ben. He couldn't tell if it was just a reflex or something more. "I should thank you, as well. My uncle takes care of me, and I have my show, but I missed the simpler times. I missed someone to talk with when I work." her hand wandered forward, waiting for her touch. He brushed it with his imposing one, making her look so tiny and frail in comparison. He could almost feel her warmth through his solid shell. She held his hand with no fear, and for a moment, everything was all right.

"Whew!" She let out a quick titter, breaking contact. She jumped out of her chair, the faintest blush around her cheek. "I think we worked enough for today. We're making progress." She grabbed a towel and started wiping her hands. Ben, for once, was delighted she couldn't see his goofy grin being there the whole time. It made him feel embarrassed, and he still had a "tough superhero" image to protect. "Any chance on inviting your teammates for the other pieces?"

"Well, uh, I haven't talked to them about that. I want ta make them a surprise."

"Awww, that's sweet. Still, I'd like to at least make a draft or something." Alicia once again felt up the details of the statue's skin pattern and wiped some brow off her forehead. "I'm feeling kinda tired. You want some coffee?"

"Ya want me to help?"

"Don't worry. As long as no one moves the furniture around, I still know my house." She chuckled as she went back to the kitchen. Ben stretched his arms and started the long wait. He checked in his coat for his phone, but he didn't find it. He grumbled reasoning he may have very well left it at the Baxter Building. He'd liked to at least listen to some music, but he didn't know Alicia's tastes that well and didn't want to throw her off her mood. At least that insipid Patsy Walker podcast wasn't on that day. As he walked around, something was caught in the corner of his eye: He could've sworn that the statue's eyes glowed of with purple light. He saw enough strange stuff in his life, so he went to check on it for a second time. He stood in front of his clay doppelganger, and stared down at it, waiting for it to make a weird move.

...Until he realized that the statue was still as, well, a statue.

"What the hell, man…" He turned around to get back to his place, and away from the craziness until the statue's eyes glowed again. Before he did something to deal with it, he felt something crawl in his arm. He tried to close his fist, but a jolt of electricity prevented him from doing that. He felt dizzy, and nearly fell down to the floor, but something stopped him from doing that. Ben couldn't move a muscle all of a sudden.

Then, his arm was back to normal, and his legs stopped shaking. He was now looking at his hands and opening his palms as if examining them, but he didn't realize he was doing that. He didn't' want to do that. He then walked out towards the window and shot a glance down the streets, but his actions weren't his own. He heard something, but he couldn't do a thing as simple as turning around, his body turned into an unmovable mountain. He wanted to scream, and thrash around and hit whoever was responsible in the face, but his body wasn't responding.

"Is something wrong?" He finally managed to turn, and saw Alicia, holding a tray with two cups.

 _Alicia, baby, run! This is not me! Call someone! The others! The U.S. Army!_

"Everything is alright, Alicia." "Ben, " said, but he wasn't the one to move his lips. "I'm sorry, but I have to go."

"Oh, yeah...Sure." The girl looked dejected and placed the tray on a nearby table. "You must be busy. Just...Call me, sometimes. We don't have to work."

 _Nonononononononononono_

"Believe me, Alicia. I'm going to give you plenty of work." Ben wasn't a genius, but it didn't take a Reed Richards to understand exactly what he meant. The impostor in his skin walked through the door, and Ben was still trapped in his own body. He prayed for the first time in a long time that Reed or Sue or even Johnny would be able to stop that evil threatening them.

* * *

"So, he just left like that?" Alyssa said, lazily stirring her milkshake with a straw.

"Yeah, that's what Reed said, at least. He's been holed up in his lab for a while, though. The four of us are going through a weird phase. I wonder if the Beatles did that." Sue stared at her cup of coffee getting colder every minute, hands crossed and perfectly still on the table.

"Probably once or twice. Smart men are always floaty and temperamental. Just look at Lennon." Alyssa licked the leftover cream from the straw. "Johnny is more of a Paul, though. He's the one that looks good, the one that everyone remembers."

"What about me? Am I a Ringo?"

"Well, Ringo was the heart of the team, and maybe the most skilled. He fluffed twelve takes in all of his career which is the same as a perfect record in the industry. He was in the background, yet making everything work."

"Wow…" Sue finally loosened up, resting her chin on her hand. "No pressure here. You're saying I got to be the heart of the team?"

"Someone's got to. Ben likes you, your brother...Kinda listens to you, and Reed, well…" Alyssa leaned with a smirk, her fingers tapping on the table. "You know…"

"I...I really don't know what you're talking about." Sue shrugged, trying to not look at her colleague in the eyes. She pushed up her sunglasses, trying to look cool and collected.

"I know the man. Not as much as you, but I know him. Not as much as I would've liked to…" For a second, Alyssa's cold and professional facade showed a crack. She looked down as if she had a moment of reminiscence. A fondness for what could've been.

"And what do you think?" Sue asked.

Reed needs you because he cares for you. He cares for you, as well. He respects you as a person. There's a certain 'warmth' between the two of you, but you never made your relationship clear. You would be lost without each other."

"Our work comes first. Especially now."

Alyssa chuckled. "Yeah, that's what they always say. The thing is, if you just sat down and talk, _as a team_ , mind you, you guys would find each other again. We are doing a great thing, Sue. Let's not waste it."

Sue looked up at the sky, Alyssa's words clearly making an impression on her. She barely had enough time to sit down and talk. About her condition, about her duty, about her family...About Reed. She longed for simpler days when they were just a couple of teens looking at the stars. The word was still turning, with no sign of stopping, and it grew colder and scarier. Still, what they had was a new beginning. That warmth that Alyssa was talking about had yet a chance to turn into a blazing inferno of life. She, too, felt alone, but their power was something that connected them on a deeper level...Or was it something more than power? She didn't believe in destiny or faith, but the fact they were still there and still fighting meant something to her.

Her phone started ringing the moment she felt close to the answer she was looking for.

"Not now. Sue sighed.

"This is one way to get out of an awkward conversation. Would you believe that Don always does that?" Sue's face went pale after she looked at the screen."Sue?"

"Oh, God...It's Reed."

"What?"

"It's an automated message. It's sent to all of our phones whenever something terrible is happening, and he programmed it to send this to us just by pressing a button. He told us he would use it only when absolutely necessary."

Alyssa immediately got up, leaving some money on the table. "I think it was necessary."

"You stay here, Alyssa. If something has happened, you call for help. Call Ross, call Agent Coulson, anyone with some authority, and guns.

"Are you sure about doing this alone?"

"Not much, but I guess we'll wing it as we go." Susan conjured an invisible disc, and hopped on it, flying away as fast as she could. She didn't care about how many onlookers would've put that footage on Youtube: She just hoped to get there in time.

* * *

"Yeah, yeah, Aunt May. I told you. I'll buy the soy milk when I come back. Love you."

Peni Parker wasn't out to buy milk.

As she crawled up the surface of the Baxter Building, she was starting to think that maybe that wasn't the smartest approach. Then again, what could an arachnid-based superhuman bonded with an A.I. do to meet with the Fantastic Four? The fact that she was using her suit's armored mode was just a precaution. She hung up the phone and absorbed it back into her costume. Spider-Girl had long since forgotten the times she couldn't take something with her.

 _Peni, I'm not detecting any security measures so far._

"Bet the good stuff is inside, Sp/Dr." She reached an air vent. Spider-Girl tried to open it up by ripping it open by using a strand of web as a lever, but the moment she tried to pull it out, a jolt of electricity coursed through her web. "Ouch."

 _Is this the 'good stuff'?_

"Apparently. So...Let me try something else." She placed her hand on it, and focused, extending some tendrils out of her suit. She tried to reach the electrical components, and then short them out by yanking out an important piece or two. It was difficult than she thought, though: Every time her suit encountered some source of heat, it retreated as if scared. According to Sp/Dr it was a weakness in its structural integrity, so she'd have to do it quickly, and not get burned. She bit her lip as yet another jolt nearly burned off one tentacle, but she had to do it, no matter how much pain she would take in the process.

 _Peni?_

"Shhh, not now, Sp/Dr. I'm trying to concentrate."

 _I'm detecting a large source of heat coming to our direction.  
_

"Yeah, I'm basically inside the electrical system. I'll be quick, though. I promise."

 _It's above us now, Peni._

Spider-Girl blinked and noticed that it was indeed getting hotter, and a shadow loomed over them. It a was a burning silhouette of a man, golden flames enveloping his crimson figure. The figure was standing there, arms crossed, looking at her very disappointed. Spider-Girl let out a nervous titter and slowly retreated the tendrils from out the panel. The figure was still not amused.

"Can I help you?" He asked, his voice echoing due to his fiery aura. "What are you doing here?" The Human Torch said as he flew upwards, catching up to her. He was still crossing his arms and looked more impatient than ever. "Please, tell me this isn't one of your stunts or something. Or do, because they were pretty cool."

"Oh, you liked my videos?"

"Yeah, dude. Why did you stop making them? Starting a criminal career or something?"

"Well, if you put it that way you make me look so bad." The Human Torch glanced towards her tentacles trying to sabotage an air vent, then back to Spider-Girl's face. "Would you believe I need some assistance, and you guys are the only one cool enough to help me?"

"Look, you got me in an awful time." He drifted forward, squeezing his fist to make some sparks drop out of them. Spider-Girl's suit instinctively hissed as it got closer. "Usually I don't try to reason with trespassers unless I followed them on social media."

"Would it help if I said it's for a video?"

"Well, actually, no. Sorry to get your hopes up high."

"Crud."

"Now: Can you tell me what are you doing here?"

"I think I took the wrong turn to Albuquerque. Could you give me some direction?"

"Excuse me?"

"You're excused." Before he could do anything else, Peni shot some web right into the Human Torch's face and zipped away from him before he could retaliate. She shot a strand of web, and pulled herself up, trying to reach the top of the Baxter Building. She jumped from window to window in a zigzag pattern, trying to think up of a plan.

"Ok, that didn't go well! Sp/Dr? Are there any other entrances?"

 _The sensors are trying to scan the are, but I would suggest you'd get away from Mr. Storm. Fast. Considering your approach, the rest of the Fantastic Four won't be utterly receptive to your words.  
_

"Yeah, I panicked. Maybe he won't take it so ba-"

The Spider Sense was tingling.

She instinctively somersaulted, and a fireball flew just below her legs, hot enough to melt a window it grazed. When she clung onto the surface again and reprised her mad rush, she felt pain in her ankles. The costume was getting thinner when close to the Human Torch's awesome flame. "Oh, come on!"

"That was a warning shot."

"Well, this ain't one." Spider-Girl jumped in front of the other superhuman and extended one arm in front of her, making it grow bulkier. From her wrist popped a large, barrel-like extension that shot a buckshot of web. The pellets exploded on the Human Torch's chest, and it enveloped him entirely, blocking his arms and legs. The impact glued him to a wall where he was left to mutter a curse. Spider-Girl continued to run until her sensors detected an even larger source of heat standing right where she left Johnny. She looked down to see that the Human Torch spread his flames around him, instantly disintegrating the webs.

"My turn."

The Human Torch rushed back up to Spider-Girl, and threw one bigger fireball than before, pushing forward his plasma with both his arms. Peni shot one more web blast to absorb the heat, releasing a massive cloud of smoke that was once her web. She took advantage of that to jump behind Johnny Storm and kick him in the back. They both grunted of pain as he felt the hit, while Spider-Girl's leg sizzled at the mere touch. The arachnid girl jumped back on the side of the building. "Can we talk now?"

"Oh, _now_ you want to talk?!

"Dude, can we start this again? I really need you guys' help."

"You're bad at first impressions."

 _He's got a point._

"Shush it, Sp/Dr."

"Yeah, shush it...Spider." The Human Torch tilted his head on the side, slightly confused. "You said it!"

"Wasn't talking to you!"

"Oh, great. We got the crazy intruder."

The various sealed compartments on the Baxter's side opened, flooding the airspace with mechanical guards. They had pearly white chassis with a square head with a monitor embedded on it. There was a pair of bright yellow eyes shining on a pitch black backdrop. They opened their cylinder shaped arms to reveal an array of laser weapons hidden in them. The robots were closing in on the two, floating ominously towards the two. Peni was searching for an exit route using her sensors, while Johnny Storm was just standing there, smiling smugly.

"There you are." Storm said with the slightest hint of a smirk. "H.E.R.B.I.E.S., you deal with her."

The H.E.R.B.I.E.S. promptly pointed their weapons at them both, their laser cannons letting out a dire droning.

"Uuuuh, guys?" Johnny looked at them, then at Spider-Girl, who shrugged at him, confused as he was.

The robots opened fire.

The Human Torch was bombarded by a barrage of laser beams. He rushed downward, trying to confuse the targeting system by flying back and forth. One laser went straight to his chest, but to Johnny's tremendous surprise, it just left a gash on the four shaped emblem on his chest. "Oh, this is bull-"

"-Crud!" Spider-Girl rushed on the other side, and shot yet another web bomb, incapacitating half a dozen security robots in one fell swoop.

"How many of these you got?" Johnny asked while flying by her side, and took out a couple more robots.

"How many of these do we have, Sp/Dr?"

 _We'll need about three minutes to regenerate the biomass._

"Who the hell are you talking to?"

"My, uh...Watch out!" She saw a robot sneaking behind Johnny, and readying a killing blow. She shot a pair of webs, sticking them to a nearby couple of robots, and pulled herself forward to strike at her target, popping its head off with one blow.

"Uh, thanks?"

"You're welcome." She quickly turned and shot a strand of web to glue the falling wrecks on the robots on the building. "There you go, no one will get hurt."

"I don't understand. They were supposed to go after intruders. Like you! No offense." He shot a bolt of plasma, leaving a hole in three robots conveniently lined up.

"None taken. Did you ran away from home or something like that?" Spider-Girl grabbed one robot arm with her web, diverting its shot towards some enemies.

"I mean, I've been kinda absent these days." Johnny concentrated and created a stream of fire to disperse a group of robots coming at them from behind, allowing him to pick them off one by one with his fireballs. "Crashing back to my girlfriend. Girlfriend _s_ , actually."

"That sucks, man. Could you move your head a little to the left, please?" Johnny obliged, and Peni shot a strand of web to one robot's monitor, ripping its head off to take down another one coming to the side.

"Unless someone got ahold of the security systems. Wait...That means that Reed is-"

All of the building's compartments opened, and a bona fide army of robots was now coming at them. The wave of steel and fury advanced towards the two, their eyes now glowing red. Johnny tried to fiddle with his communicator, and contact the others, just to find a static signal. He looked at his right to his unlikely ally and realized that only the two of them wouldn't be able to make it.

"Want to discuss this in a safer place?"

"Please!"

* * *

"Oh, Ben...Didn't hear you come in. Come over here. I want to show you something." Reed pushed one button at his side. He closed some of the dimensional windows and stretched his arm to reach a lever, bringing his platform on the ground floor. "We are making progress. I have to say that the multiverse is a fascinating, and yet, gloomy place. We have to approach the procedure with the utmost care, and-" Reed got out of his science stupor, and took a better look at his friend. He was standing there in a dark corner, unmoving, his eyes no longer the familiar shade of blue. "Is everything alright, Ben?"

The figure lunged at him. Reed stretched his arms to press a button, closing the sealed doors, and readying the security system, but whatever was possessing Ben struck him with its backhand. His elastic tissue absorbed most of the hit, but it still knocked him off a wall. The Thing was now grabbing him by the neck, squeezing slowly, with an almost sadistic glee.

"B-Ben...Why…?"

"Oh, Doctor Richards. Don't blame your friend." An unknown voice came out of Ben's lips. "But I'm flattered. It's the peak of the art of a puppet master when the public gets so involved with the puppet." A man stepped behind Ben, allowing Reed to recognize the voice as his. His eyes were glowing with the same purple hue of Ben's eyes. The man lifted his hand and squeezed. Ben conversely tightened his grip. Reed's still unraveled arms went limp on the ground.

"W-who are you?!" He tried to pull himself together, but Ben slammed him on the wall. He bit his lip to not show he was in pain. Not going to give him the satisfaction.

"Please allow me to introduce myself. I'm a man of wealth and taste." He let out an impish chuckle. It was such a simple gesture, yet so bothersome and disturbing. "Sorry, I couldn't resist. My name is Philip Masters. My niece and your colleague, Mr. Grimm, are friends. A fortuitous coincidence since this allowed me to get ahold of Mr. Grimm 'services'." He opened his hand, making Ben loosen his hold on Reed's throat. "In fact, I've been so satisfied with his companionship that I'm tempted to purchase the complete package."

"Why are you doing this? Surely, a man with your abilities would find a better use for them."

He seemed flattered at that, flashing a wicked grin. "Well, Doctor, there isn't a better use for power than having _more_ power. Your team is made of extraordinary individuals, the only ones able to help me further my goal." While he was distracted, Reed mustered what little strength he has left to drag his fingers across the room, searching for his workstation.

"Of course. A man like you always has some design in his mind. I presume this is just step one."

"Indeed. I waited for my chance, and fate laid this occasion on my lap. I would not allow it to go to waste."

"There's not many of us, though. Not enough to build an army." Reed reached the computer to enter the special password and sent the warning to the others. If he slipped up or wasted more time than it was allowed, Masters would've stopped him, so he had the time to input just one clue into it.

He typed the word _Ben._

Reed hoped it was enough.

"They did say you were a smart man. It's almost a waste what I'm going to do to you, but, alas…" Masters produced from his hand a small glowing rock. He pressed it between his hands and stretched it forward. The strand glowed of that diseased violet light and stuck itself to Reed's forehead. "A puppet needs its strings…Isn't that right, Alicia?" A figure followed Masters, but Reed couldn't quite grasp on who that was.

When the substance touched his forehead, Reed screamed.

* * *

"So, this means we're pals, now?"

"No, yes, maybe, I don't know. We'll talk about it." Johnny punched in the code in the keypad, and the elevator's door opened. The two managed to get away and relocated in one of the Four's safehouses. The Human Torch and Spider-Girl stepped in the bright white room, and the elevator started going up. Johnny sulked in a corner, arms crossed, and lost himself in thoughts.

Spider-Girl had shifted her suit into the more tight-fitting, blue and red version of it. She yawned and stretched her arms above her head, then crawled on the wall just opposite of Johnny. "So...Safehouses? Like plural?"

"Yeah, there's a lot of bigwigs backing us up. I don't know how many of those we got."

Spider-Girl whistled. "I got a house with a picket fence."

"Oh, cool. We used to have one. You know, back before all of this started."

She adjusted her hoodie. "...Picket fences are the best, man."

Spider-Girl thought about making some more small talk to distract him, but the fiery Torch was unusually pensive about the whole affair. She reasoned to not have really known him until that moment. Except for one little gaffe, the Torch was cocky and debonaire in interviews. Then again, his friends and sister were in danger…

"Got any ideas about what happened?" She asked.

"No, not yet." Johnny turned up his nose. "Do you _need_ to carry that around?" He glanced at Spider-Girl's makeshift web pack. Inside, there was the teared down head of a security robot.

"What? It's a souvenir. It could be useful." Peni got back on the ground and stood in front of him. The elevator stopped, and the doors opened. "I've been a real jerk, and I'm sorry for before." She offered her hand. "Can we start again?"

...What the hell." He shook Spider-Girl's hand firmly. "We're in this together now."

Johnny went inside. It was everything a safe house was expected to be: It had spare costumes contained in glass capsules, spare electronic parts, a computer station, first aid kits, and a what looked like a spare Fantasti-Car.

"Oh my God…" Spider-Girl cooed as she leaped on the car's front.

"You're not driving that."

"Worth a shot." She chuckled and punched the air, crawling on a wall.

"So, let me think…" Johnny got his phone out and checked out if anything happened in his absence.

"Wow...62 unread messages? Your sister does worry." Spider-Girl said, looking over his shoulder.

"Do you mind?"

She sheepishly scooted away from him. "Soooo...What exactly happened between you guys? I have to know that if we have to find out the truth." Johnny skimmed through most of the message, mostly because he had no time to read about all of them, but those that he did read broke his heart.

"I was an utter jerk. I wanted to have some fun, but I made a mess. If we'd been together, this wouldn't have happened."

"Oh…" Spider-Girl sat on a chair, trying to be still. She hugged her knees, rocking back and forth to listen to the Human Torch's story.

"Thing is, I had a fight with Ben, and Reed, and Sue, I think." He sighed. "We fought our toughest enemy yet. I couldn't do crap to him. I said to myself 'What's the point'?, and I thought it would never work. Might as well have fun. So, I became the brat they always thought I was, and now they are in danger. Because I wasn't there." He looked at Spider-Girl, still clinging on the wall without saying a word. "Yeah, I'm sorry. I can't dump all of this on you. You'll think I'm talking crazy."

That hit close to home. Perhaps a little too close...She held her chest, caressing her insignia. Sp/Dr twitched slightly. "No, I won't."

 _Peni? Your pressure is rising: Is there something wrong?_

"Oh, crap…" Johnny said, the cell phone's screen shining a bright red light on his face.

"What is it?"

"It's the threat report message…" He stared at it, unmoving and wide-eyed.

"This sounds bad. It's bad, right?"

"Really bad. There's only one word in it: _Ben_."

"The Thing? Maybe Doctor Richards wanted you to contact him."

"Wait, let me check his phone. Maybe there's a clue on it." Johnny took out Ben's custom-made cell. It had a bigger frame than most models and had a screen made of tempered glass to withstand his strength. He tried to unlock it, but his hands were shaking too much. Johnny was trying to look tough in front of his newfound ally, but deep down, he was agonizing for the fate of his family.

...He realized that it was the first time he thought about all of them that way.

"Wha-Why do you have The Thing's phone?"

"I kinda sorta stole it…"He tittered. "Oh, don't give me that look. I wanted to get back at him. Don't tell me you never did something like that."

"How can you tell?"

She _was_ making a disappointed face, of course.

"It's your mask. They make those…" he gestured to his own face. "Creepy...Slit...thing. It's really distracting. Very expressive, though. How did you get that? Were you bitten by a radioactive spider?"

"You're closer than you think, but no."

"Look, can I at least see your face? You got nothing to hide. We're in this together now."

"...I'd rather not. I got enemies. If they found I'm connected to you, you'll be a target."

"Oh, come on. We fight monsters of all kind. I think we can manage scammers or trolls."

"What's your opinion about creepy guys with metal wings?"

Johnny blinked. "Well, you got me with that."

"Can I see your phone?"

"Suit yourself." He threw it at her. Spider-Girl quickly caught it with her web. "Have fun unlocking that. I'll try to contact the Baxter Building aga-"

"Done." She threw it back at him. It hit him on the forehead but fortunately fell on the desk. "Ehm, sorry?"

"How the hell did you-?" Johnny said, massaging his forehead.

"Oh, I got a knack for this stuff…"She nonchalantly pretended to look at her fingernails under the suit. Johnny could actually see the smirk under the mask. He ignored her and went straight to the call registry.

"There's a lot of calls to Alicia Masters. Maybe she knows something."

"You think it's a clue?"

"I think it's his girlfriend. Sue told me once."

Spider-Girl blinked, her white eyes turning into tiny blips. "That's definitely a clue."

"We could find her. She definitely knows where Ben is, or at least where he was going. We can't do much alone. Now, let's…" He used the computer to access the Baxter Building system, but he found himself denied the entrance. "Dammit. They thought about it."

"Well, maybe we can do something about it." Spider-Girl picked up the severed head of the robot and placed it on the desk. Before Johnny could protest, she had already plugged it to the computer and opened a script. "Yup, I think we're in."

"Hey, I recognize this script. I think we've reached something…" He remembered how easy it was to actually crack open the Baxter's sealed doors, and figured it had to be the same principle. He was glad that he was using his knowledge for something good, for a change. If Ben would've been there to see him, he would've been proud. Not that Johnny cared: He wanted some recognition, at least. He surely didn't _want_ him to be there to see that...

There was now a progress bar on the screen, rapidly going up.

"And you wanted to get rid of that head because it's creepy."

"It _is_ creepy."

The head's eyes turned on, and the screen went black. There was now a voice on the speakers while a sound icon was flashing in the corner. "...Is this thing on?" The person on the other head of the line said.

"That's Jane!" Johnny dragged his seat forward, turning towards Spider-Girl. "She's our doctor. Doctor Foster? Are you alright?"

"Oh, God, Johnny, it's you. Are you alright?"

"Yeah, kind of. I'm here now."

"Where have you been?!"

"I'm in one of Reed's safehouse. We had to regroup because the security system went nuts. They started shooting at us. Know anything about that?"

"Tell her I said 'Hi'!" Spider-Girl waved her hand as if Jane could see her.

"Who is that?"

"She's Spider-Girl. She said 'Hi.'" Johnny glared at her: He couldn't believe he actually did that, and in that situation. Spider-Girl's snickering didn't help.

"Never heard of her. What, are you recruiting random hobos from the street?"

Spider-Girl pouted, and turned her back at Johnny, crossing her arms, and huffing her chest.

"Look, where are you? What happened there?"

"The Baxter Building is compromised. Don and I were checking the last data when all of a sudden, the whole building sealed itself off. Robots knocked us out and dragged us in a room. Fortunately, you were able to reach us. I've been talking for so long in this communicator that Don gave it a name. No, I'm not calling it Ralph, no matter how much you beg. Yeah...Yeah, he said 'Hi,' as well."

"I like him already."

"What happened to Reed? Is he okay?"

"We didn't see him. We think that he left. We do know that Ben passed by before, though: The security system recognized him. Sue and Alyssa are out 'bonding.'"

Johnny could actually _hear_ the air quotes.

"Alright, you two stay there. Once we find the others, we'll get you back, and solve this whole mess. Maybe play Pictionary." The Human Torch was ready to close the communication until he heard a cracking noise coming from the speakers.

"Johnny?" Jane whispered.

"Yeah?"

The doctor took a deep breath. "Be careful."

He nodded and closed the communication. Johnny looked down to his chest, caressing the broken Four emblazoned on his uniform with a heavy heart and a dejected look. He stood up, shaking those feelings out of himself. It was time to leave the boy behind, and grow up. Be the man he was supposed to be.

"So...Let's find Ben. Gotta start somewhere."

"Let's go, then...Partner."

Johnny laughed at that. He figured that he had way worse options than the crazy spider person that just tried to break in their headquarters. "You know what? This is a team up now. We're doing this together.."

"Oh, hell yes! You got a plan already?"

"We'll wing it as we go."

 _This is not a good plan, Peni._

"Hush, Sp/Dr. We'll make it up as we go."

"You know, one day you will tell me why you talk with your insignia."

"Speaking of which…" Spider-Girl pointed at his broken emblem. "Is it a fashion choice or sentimental value?"

"Yeah, right. There should be a spare one in here. You won't believe how many doodads Reed put in these." Johnny headed towards the spare parts and started rummaging. "Not as much as your suit, though. Where did you get that?"

".Would you believe me if I told you it was an accident?"

"Nope."

"Even worse." Johnny finally grabbed a matching circuit. He pushed a button on its side, producing a loud beeping. "Crap. They're still unauthorized. We got a special communication channel, shared between the four of us, but you need to set every new one."

"Could I take a look to that one?" Spider-Girl pointed at the broken one.

"Just don't make it explode."

"No promises."

* * *

Susan Storm was pretty sure it was a trap, and she was walking right into it. As her disc slowly landed on a rooftop, place of a so-called "appointment," that feeling was getting more and more under her skin. She looked at her cell for the umpteenth time: After that obvious and hermetic request of help, there was a calm, and collected message from Reed, asking her to meet her up at a safe place. Part of her was relieved at seeing Reed again, but it was an uncharacteristically eerie scene: He was standing there, looking down at the city, clad in his uniform with his hand behind his back.

Part of her wanted to run to him, and hug him, tell him how glad she was of seeing him unharmed. Another part of her shushed that thought and extended a force field over the are. She closed her eyes for just a second, expanding her perception over the whole area. Sue had figured it was time to use that potential for subtler purposes. That desire had paid off correctly as she bumped over something with her field. Something tingled at the back of her head: It was the trap, ready to spring, and capture her.

"Susan," Reed said, turning towards her. Sue decided to play along for a while.

"Reed!" She ran towards him but managed to stop just in time. "Where were you? What happened at the Baxter?"

"It was terrible, my dear." While he said that, something was really off: Reed was rational, but not dispositioned. He spoke fast, but without getting to the point. "We had to evacuate it. We're under attack."

"But, by who? What is happening, Reed?"

Susan felt that tingling stronger than before. There was now _something_ looming behind her. It was quite huge, and humming with energy. The thing that was unnerving her the most was the fact that...It felt like _hers_ somehow. She decided to play along with it just a little more...

"Reed?"

He adjusted his glasses. An entirely mechanical, and meaningless gesture, like he read it in a script." Susan…" He gently grasped her wrist. Susan felt something stir up inside her: That was not Reed. It wasn't his touch. It was something that wanted her to slam away with a forcefield. She grasped his hand and moved it away from her arm. That impulsive part of her wanted to break his fingers for that, but it was still Reed in a way. "Do you trust me?"

That thing behind her was getting closer. It was time to act.

"What was its name?"

"Excuse me?" Sue could hear the confusion in his voice, but his face was still an expressionless mask.

"That comet. The one we found when we were teens. What was its name?"

"Sue...It's been so long. Why don't you just-"

"Answer me!"

Sue turned around and entrapped the thing, now dangerously close to striking, in a sphere-shaped forcefield by closing her fist. Sparks were flying, and the Fantasticar slowly started to reveal itself, appearing from thin air. On it there was Ben, standing still in silence at the commands, and behind him someone she never saw. It was a smug looking man in a suit, clapping his hands, and giggling like a little boy.

"Marvelous, Miss Storm! Absolutely marvelous, I dare say."

"Who are you?!" Reed lunged at her, trying to ensnare Susan by enveloping his stretched torso around her. She blocked him with a force field before he could so. Reed squashed his face on it but showed no pain nor signs of giving up. "What have you done to them?"

"They are my puppets, plain and simple. It was astonishingly easy to trap them, but I knew you would have been a tough nut to crack. Mr. Grimm?" He snapped his fingers, and Ben started wailing on the forcefield, unleashing his prodigious strength. Blow after blow, Sue felt her force field cracking under them. The struggle to maintain the sphere up, and blocking Reed was starting to take its toll. Susan felt something like burning nails being driven in the back of her head, but she couldn't surrender. Not yet, at least.

"That was a-Ugh…" She felt a trickle of blood running down on her chin. "A nice trick you did there. Maybe I should sue for copyright infringement…" She let out a tired chuckle, trying to distract herself from the strain she felt all over her body.

"You should blame Oscorp for that. However, I wasn't behind its ideation. Still, you'd have to admit that it served its purpose. Working for them, I was beneath suspicion when one of the prototypes went missing. It fulfilled its purpose."

Reed was now extending his arms, trying to bypass the wall in front of him. Sue bit her lip, and create another sphere. Reed quickly stretched and deformed his body to squeeze himself out of every opening. His arms enveloped around Susan's legs and yanked her off the ground. She screamed, and that's all it took to throw her off her concentration. Ben threw one last powerful punch, and the force field around the car exploded into tiny pieces before dissolving back into energy. Sue sprung back on her feet, Reed's stretched out body coiled around her several times. The man closed his fist, commanding him to squeeze harder. Susan tried to scream, but it was muffled by a mass of blue spandex.

The man hopped down from the Fantasticar with Ben at his side. "If she does anything funny, break her neck. I'm not risking it." The man shifted from cold professionalism back to his jolly demeanor. "Where are my manners? I'm Philip masters."

"You're…" She gasped for breath. "Alicia's…"

"Correct." He gave a small bow. "My niece has been instrumental in my plan, but don't blame her. She hardly had a choice in that."

The man loved the sound of his own voice. That would've been his downfall. She mustered the last of her strength to make something far subtler than before. She conjured an invisible disc to place over her insignia, hoping to make it thin enough to fit between her, and the mind-controlled Reed. The man was crushing her by the second, so she had to be quick. With one thought, she pressed the button, activating her communicator to call Johnny…

* * *

"Crud. She's not here." Spider-Girl said as she scoured the empty apartment. "Maybe they moved."

"I doubt it." Johnny was holding a flaming fist before him as a makeshift torch, checking for every nook and cranny. From what it looked like, it was abandoned pretty quickly. They even had the time to take a few statues with them: All that was left was a dusty outline. Most of them were unfinished, and the apartment was filled with an eerie silence. "Found anything yet, Spidey?"

"Positively zilch." Spider-Girl lifted a spartan cot to check under it. "Looks like they wanted to cover their tracks."

 _Peni? I'm detecting vital signs other than yours and Mr. Storm.  
_

"Really? Where is it?"

"Oh, I get it now." Johnny closed the fridge door. There was nothing tasty inside anyway. "You got some kind of mission control. There's someone, a man on the chair. He tells you stuff. Infos, tactical things, what foods your enemies don't like."

"Heh. Sort of."Sp/Dr readings came from the trance. Peni crawled on the floor, while Johnny waited in the corridor, ready to cover her. A young woman entered the apartment, carrying a box with her. Spider-Girl sneaked up behind her back while Johnny lowered his flame. Alicia looked around, slightly confused by something. "Is anyone in there?" She said. Spider-Girl slowly descended from the ceiling, attached to a strand of web. "Miss Masters?"

The woman jumped away with a yelp, letting the box fall on the ground, scattering some clay figures on the floor.

"Subtle."

"Says the guy literally on fire."

"Wait, who is there? What are you doing in my house?"

"Easy there, Miss Masters." Johnny came forward, raising his hands to show he had no ill intentions. He then remembered that the woman was blind. Spider-Girl's snickering didn't help. "I'm Johnny Storm of the Fantastic Four. This is Spider-Girl. From Youtube. We are looking for Ben. He disappeared, and there's an emergency at the Baxter."

"I-I just saw him this morning. I live here with my uncle. No one else." The woman looked unperturbed now. Johnny couldn't quite read her face. Something in his gut told him she was hiding something, but he couldn't quite grasp it. "These are some interesting statues…" Johnny bent over to pick some of them up.

"They're really lifelike." He examined them down to the finest detail. It was amazing how they were scaled down. Johnny examined her hands: They were still stained of clay.

Spider-Girl snatched one with a strand of web."Still warm. Looks like they're freshly made. Kinda weird they're the only statues in here. Are you guys moving out or something?"

"...Something." Alicia mumbled. "Look, if you guys came here just for snooping around, I'm going to ask you to leave, or I'll call the police."

The Human Torch's communicator started beeping. It was all stitched up with web, but apparently still functional. After he touched his chest emblem to answer, there was a voice now coming from Johnny's insignia. "So...Your niece...Where does she fit in this?"

"That's Sue…" Johnny grasped his insignia tighter. "Sue?! Can you hear me? Where are you?!"

"Instrumental, Miss Storm. That's the only way to describe my niece."

There was no response. johnny figured it must've been a recording.

"Wait a second. Is he tal-" Johnny placed a hand where Spider-Girl's mouth should've been to shush her. She pretended to close a zipper over her mouth.

Alicia's lifeless eyes went wide when she heard that voice, her mouth was now agape with horror. "Uncle…?" She muttered. Johnny was still completely focused on the conversation.

"My niece was...Pawn...The best one could ask…" The other man voice came off fragmented and muffled somewhat. The three were hearing the right things, at least. Alicia's face went to confusion to anger, her fist was now gripping tight Johnny's costume.

"How are you controlling them?!" Sue winced in pain. Johnny was visibly struggling to wreathe himself in flames, and burst out of that window, gunning to rescue his sister. He had to stay calm and listen to every word. "...Made them into some sort of...Puppet…"

"You see...My power needs an anchor, Miss Storm." Masters chuckled. "An anchor that my niece gently provided…" Alicia awkwardly shifted her own weight towards the door. Johnny grabbed her by the wrist as he kept listening.

"The statues…" Spider-Girl said, preparing herself to restrain Alicia with a well-placed web shot.

"What do you want?" Sue was now gasping for air, her voice cracking under the pressure of what she may have been going through.

"You see: I've given my whole life for Oscorp. My family gave everything to Oscorp." He raised his voice for the first time. "I think it's time for them to return the favor. Don't struggle now."

With that, Sue started screaming, and the communication was cut off. An unearthly silence fell into the room.

"So…" Spider-Girl broke the silence, crossing her arms behind her head to try and look nonchalant about it. "I'm no expert, but she did talk about controlling, and stuff."

"Yeah, and he used the statues for something. For controlling their minds. Which is not the weirdest thing I ever heard."

"It's mine, though." Spider-Girl raised her hand. "Do I get a prize or-" As she realized that both of them, blind girl included, were glaring at her, she put the hand down. "I guess we should find them."

"Alicia." Johnny let her go gently, but

"I-I don't know. We have various warehouses, but right now I can't think of a place. My uncle wouldn't let me know. Unless-"

"Do you have any idea why your uncle went nuts? No offense." Spider-Girl said.

"It all started because of Oscorp." Alicia fell silent, hugging herself as she turned away from the two. "I think he wants revenge. I, too, contemplated revenge, once, but I thought it as impossible..."

"There are plenty of good reasons to get revenge on Oscorp. What's his?"

"The accident. The explosion that injured me...My uncle always believed it was their fault. He used me, and I used him to get revenge on them. He's using that clay. It's a prototype created by Oscorp that he helped develop. It's a mind-controlling substance, but it needs a surrogate. A copy of the intended target."

"Just like the statues…Which you made." Johnny growled, his clenched fist shaking in anger. "Why? Why did you involve Ben into this?"

"Of course!" Spider-Girl slapped her forehead. "There's an Oscorp establishment in this block! Maybe that's his target.

"You sound like you already dealt with them."

Spider-Girl awkwardly shuffled away, hands behind her back. "I got a knack…"

"Ok, Mystery Girl." He patted on Spider-Girl's back. That moment of levity quickly ended as Johnny went back to confront Alicia. "Why? Why Ben?"

"He...I had no idea my uncle wanted to use him for his plan. Once I told him about Ben, he sounded ecstatic. I couldn't imagine he would-""

"Was approaching him part of your plan?"

"No, of course not! I...Ben is a good man. I struggled with what I had to do, but my uncle...He…" The woman closed her eyes, sobbing quietly as she did so. "He's mad; He wouldn't listen to reason. And neither could part of me."

"You could've done more than just struggling about it!" Johnny leaped forward, small flames dancing around his eyes. Spider-Girl stopped him by gently grabbing at his wrists. Her suit hissed and popped at his touch.

"Would not...Could not...We'd never know. If we pondered all day about lost opportunities, we wouldn't get anything done. All that matters is the present, and what we can do now." The arachnid hero nodded towards Johnny to tell him to calm down. He nodded back as Spider-Girl went back to comfort Alicia. "Don't worry, Miss Masters." He placed his hands on her shoulders. "We'll stop him. We'll save the day. We'll save everyone."

"That was...Surprisingly insightful of you. You got a knack for that, too?"

"You know it."

"Alicia…" Johnny put a friendly hand on Alicia's shoulder. "Your uncle is doing a terrible thing, and I have to stop him. We have to stop him. I know he is family, but so are Reed, Sue, and Ben. We've got to stop them."

"I...I understand."

"Yeah, but they would still be under your Uncle's control. How do we stop _them_?" Spider-Girl said. "It's like three of the Fantastic Four.

"I will. I will help you. I think that I know where the statues may be. I couldn't see where it was, but I have an idea."

"You? No offense, but you're...Uh…" Spider-Girl tried to physically hold an awkward chuckle. She could feel Johnny's disapproving stare searing into her skin, so, for once, she turned serious again. "I mean, we trust you, Miss Masters."

"If you need assistance you can call on us."

After exchanging phone numbers, the two left Alicia's apartment. She held on her device and whispered in it. "Call Quill…"

* * *

"Ah, look at that. Such opulence." The Oscorp compound wasn't even trying not to look suspicious. It was a well-secured building with trained guards working in shift. A small fortress of iron, and concrete placed under everyone's noses. Norman Osborn wasn't afraid of anything, and he showed that. Philip Masters had a somewhat perverse pleasure in ordering the Invisible Woman to shatter that illusion. He closed his fist, signaling Susan to conjure up a ram made of invisible energy. She projected it forward, breaking the sealed doors like a pair of toothpicks. This set up the alarm, and with clockwork-like precision guards hurried to the scene.

Masters didn't even dignify them of a glance, as he clicked his fingers to call up The Thing. The behemoth jumped in front of him, shielding his master from a hail of bullets. He proceeded towards his goal while Mr. Fantastic coiled around their necks, and knocked them down in one fell swoop.

"Mr. Grimm?" He called up The Thing to the caveau door. Ben knocked it out with one square punch. Masters giggled while the dust settled, and simply waltzed in, grabbing a suitcase from inside. He took the time to kick an unconscious guard out of sheer spite. "It was remarkably easy. Fortunately, I have many other uses for the three of you. It's a shame that whippersnapper of Mister Storm couldn't be here." As he walked out of the compound, a bolt of pure heat stopped at his feet. "Speak of the devil…"

"It's over, Masters." The Human Torch was there a few feet from the ground, wreathed in flames with steel in his gaze. At his side, there was another strange being: A red-armored being with bug eyes and spindly, mechanical looking limbs, perched on a city light. On her chest was placed a spider-shaped emblem.

"Yeah…" The other added, narrowing its eyes. "What my friend said."

"Ah, company. I was just thinking about you, Mr. Storm...And I've never heard of you. I'm sorry."

"It's ok. I deleted my channel. Now, are you going to do this the easy way or the hard way?" Masters sighed, and with a simple gesture of his hand, The Thing grabbed a car nearby to threw it at the heroes. "The hard way! The hard way!" Spider-Girl yelled as she arched out of the way of the impromptu projectile. Johnny Storm propelled forward and unleashed a torrent of fire towards the puppet master. Susan Storm came to his aid, projecting a force field over him. The stream of fire was rendered harmless, and quickly dispersed.

Meanwhile, the car launched by The Thing was inches away from hitting a man. He froze up and started screaming, crouching to somehow shield himself from the impact until he realized he wasn't dead yet. Spider-Girl managed to grab the vehicle in mid-air and was now keeping it over her head. "Traffic, am I right?" She quipped as the man ran for his life. "You're welcome, by the way!" She chirped as she put the car back on the street, and swung back to the Human Torch's side.

"You said it, Spider-Girl!" An old man with a thin white mustache and sporting sunglasses stopped his car next to the arachnid hero, then sped out as fast as he could. His license plate was reading 3XCELS10R!.

"Come on, Sue. Snap out of it!" Johnny screamed as he tried to at least incapacitate Masters with a fireball. Susan, still mind-controlled, was holding a steady invisible wall to protect the villain. Masters was treating the whole affair with amusement, and boredom, being far more concerned with the stolen briefcase.

"Be careful: This suit is quite expensive. Also, we wouldn't want to damage the spoils of war, am I right?"

"What's inside that thing?" Johnny said as he flew around, trying to find a way around the field. Sue quickly stretched it around to close every blind spot.

"Every conqueror needs an army, and this will be instrumental in it." At his command, Susan conjured another cylinder of pure invisible energy and launched it towards Johnny. The boy flew in front of Masters, unaware of being within inches of colliding with it.

"Careful!" Spider-Girl screamed as she snatched Johnny away from the trajectory of the weapon. The force field demolished a wall on its way.

"W-wait! How?! How can you see them?"

"Good intuition, duh! And speaking of which…" Her Spider Sense tingle yet again, and this alerted her of a barrage of invisible projectiles. Spider-Girl reacted by creating web and attaching it to two adjacent walls. It held up the time the two needed to scoot out of the way before being torn to shreds.

"Good! We have a plan now!" Johnny said as he flew around The Thing, drawing his attention. The giant weakly flayed at him, trying to swat him like an insect. "You think about my sister. I'll try to distract Ben."

"I'm flattered, but she's not my type. Too blonde."

"Oh, is banter your thing, now?"

"You're also doing it, cupcake." Spider-Girl looked up and saw Reed Richards hovering aboard the Fantasticar. She then saw the scientist brandish some sort of cannon towards her. "Huh, Johnny? Does Mr. Fantastic use super weapons?"

"He majored in them!"

"Crud."

Before she could react, the weapon invested her with a hurricane of pure sound. A massive sound wave blasted Spider-Girl away, sending her flying through the air. The weapon roared and blared as its massive force forced her against the wall before the barrage of pure sound mercifully stopped. Peni couldn't hear her own thoughts due to the sharp ringing noise in her ears, and all of her tiny body was covered in bruises. She felt the grass under her knees and hands...Which was pretty weird since she was supposed to wear her suit. In fact, it quickly morphed into a liquid nightmare, tentacles flaying and all, exposing her legs, and part of her face. She tried to say something, but she stumbled on her own tentacles. Somehow, the most embarrassing thing for her was letting the world know Spider-Girl wore a tartan skirt.

"Gaaah! Sp/Dr, what the heck?"

 _SYSTEM CRITICAL... STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY COMPROMISED. I SUGGEST WE RETREAT.  
_

That was the first time ever she heard Sp/Dr raise his voice. Peni immediately shot a strand of web and attached it to a running bus. "Torch! Let's try to regroup." She said while being dragged around by the vehicle.

"Spider-Girl! Wait!" He said as he barely avoided one more sonic burst from Reed's weapon. He accelerated to keep up with the bus and parked himself next to Spider-Girl. He saw that she was visibly struggling to keep her incredible suit under wraps, and gave her a second to breathe. He caught a glimpse of frazzled black hair, pale green eyes, and a white shirt, but restrained himself from looking. "So, uh, what was what?"

"My suit. It doesn't like loud noises. Or fire."

"Woah." Johnny sheepishly looked at his wreathed in flames figure. "That sucks. Are you alright?"

"We'll think about it later." In the blink of an eye, a red liquid fully enveloped Spider-Girl's body. This time, her suit was bulkier, and her tiny figure gained a few inches. Her shoulder pads sported yellow colored spikes, while her limbs looked spindly and mechanical, yet insanely strong.

Their train of thought was derailed the moment Ben grabbed the bus. The giant jumped on the road and picked it up with his hands like a toy, its wheels steering in the air.

"Ok, try not to harm him."

"Oh, _I'll_ try! What about him?"

"Maybe?"

Spider-Girl grumbled something and shot some web on The Thing's eyes. Ben Grimm roared, and let go of the bus, giving a big scare to its occupants, but no harm. The giant fumbled, and flailed his arm about, trying to get rid of the webbing. Spider-Girl wailed on him, sneaking some punches at full strength. She accompanied each strike with a hearty roar, but it was as effective as striking a brick wall. As in, _Peni Parker before her powers_ , hitting a brick wall. Ben Grimm finally regained his eyesight and sent Spider-Girl flying with a backhand strike, smashing her against the backside of a car.

"Ben! You have to stop!" Johnny screamed, unleashing a stream of fire against The Thing. At first, The Thing tanked the attack like it was nothing, but soon he started to falter. His orange skin was now glowing, his solid shell being cooked from the inside out. Johnny's flames began glowing in a golden light, the concrete beneath was now boiling, and melting on its own. The Thing was slowly sinking in the black goop that was now the concrete. Johnny felt no limits to his power: That one time with Namor he felt the power of a supernova in the tip of his fingers. He tapped into something darker, wild, and uncontrolled.

Something he was now using on _Ben,_ of all people.

Johnny stopped, his hands folding into shaking fists.

Ben, on the contrary, the moment Johnny stopped his barrage was ready to strike. The moment he lifted one arm, Johnny saw a strand of web sticking to it, causing it to drive deep in the melted concrete. Spider-Girl leaped at him before he could react to land a kick on his jaw. Ben retaliated with one punch, causing the girl to dodge, and get Ben's other hand trapped in the goop. "Not so tough now, right?" Spider-Girl chirped while sitting on top of The Thing's shoulder. The behemoth roared and tried to shrug her off, but she was quickly arching through the air next to Johnny. "You coming or what?"

"You...You're ok!" He laughed as he followed her.

"Awww, you do care about me!"

"Don't push it now, webhead. I think we need a plan."

"So...We've stopped winging it?"

"I did notice something."

"Miss Storm…" Masters looked at the whole scene with a clinical eye. He snapped his finger to have Susan conjure an invisible throne for him on which he sat. Reed followed them on the Fantasticar, still brandishing his weapon, while Susan got up on her own platform. Masters decided to take the metaphorical gloves off. Central Park would've been those so-called heroes grave...

* * *

"Is this the place?" Greg's car purred, and stop with a sharp thud. Alicia was glad she always put the seatbelts on.

"Yeah, Mr. Quill. Thank you. Could you describe me what do you see?"

"It's a warehouse. Plenty of room to put all the statues you want. There's a couple of thugs at the entrance. They seem kinda... _Off_. Wearing sunglasses, and not even the cool ones."

Alicia's uncle was a clever man: He had enough money or resources to either buy the building or brainwash someone to give it to him, and still make it pass as legal. She took a deep breath and got out of the car. Before she could set one foot outside, she felt Greg's hand on her wrist. "Listen: Are you sure you want to do this? I could've done that myself."

"It's something I got to do myself, Mr. Quill. I have to make amends."

Greg sighed. "Look, I just own a moving company. I have no idea what you did to Ben, or why, or how. But making amends? You get a pass."

"Thank you…" She tried to reach for the man, but he had already moved out of the way. Wheter he had been in ahurry, or trying to avoid her, Alicia didn't know.

"Now, let's go and help Ben." Quill got out of the car and graciously offered his hand to Alicia to help her. The two approached one of the unmoving guards. "Hey, man. Could you let us pass?"

The man did not even acknowledge his presence. They really seemed on autopilot.

"Look, we're really in a hurry."

The man was still immobile, not even acknowledging the two.

"Figures." Greg sighed and knocked the henchman flat with one punch. It still didn't make a grunt.

"Uh, Mr. Quill? What was that noise?"

"I knocked him out."

"You what?!"

This time, the other guard reacted and brought friends with him. "Alicia? Didn't you tell me you destroyed those little replicas?"

"Yeah, but my uncle must've taken a few pieces for himself."

"Clever son of a bitch. No offense."

A bona fide army of goons against an old man, and a blind woman. Quill thought of it as a normal Tuesday.

* * *

"Johnny?"

"Yeah?"

"Is this where you unfold an amazing plan, you save our collective bacon, the usual stuff?"

"When I tell you, immediately go after Sue?"

"Is this what I think it is?"

"You know it."

"Oh, and Spider-Girl?"

"Yeah?"

"Whatever happens, it's been an honor."

"Thanks, matchstick."

"Kill them." Masters slouched on his throne, clasping his fingers together as he watched from above with sinister glee.

Spider-Girl leaped forward, confronting danger head on. Masters wanted to give her a fitting death: Susan conjured a cylindrical battering ram and aimed towards the ground to squash her master's enemy...Only for Spider-Girl to leap upon it, and run up its whole length. The arachnid hero screamed at the top of her lungs and tried to dropkick Susan in the face. Masters winced of pain and had Ben leap to his defense, only for The Human Torch to blind them both with a fiery flash. Masters screamed in anger and blinked to get rid of the flickering lights. When he opened his eyes again, he saw Susan Storm on the ground.

"No, no, no, no…" He muttered, trying to exert more control over her, and wake her up. Spider-Girl jumped on him, instinct making him call Ben at his side. The giant parried the strike as usual, but Masters started feeling a striking pain in the back of his head.

"There you go. Keep distracting him!"

"On it!" Spider-Girl knew she had no chance to inflict any lasting damage to The Thing. So, of course, she'd be annoying as heck. For every punch he threw, she flipped over his arms, slid between his legs, spraying his imposing figure with web until she had him all webbed up. Reed Richards rushed over on the Fantasticar, preparing another shot of his sonic cannon. Johnny rushed in front of him. "Sorry, Reed. promise it won't hurt." With that, he started circling around the vehicle as fast as he could, blocking him into a ring of fire.

"Just go _up_ , you cretin!" Masters roared as he tried to free Ben out of his predicament. That sharp pain was getting stronger by the second while he also decided to call to his side Sue Storm. He had The Invisible Woman conjure up a construct of energy to smash the heroes at until he noticed Spider-Girl. She was standing there coquettishly, and casually pushed with the tip of her finger The Thing...Right on top of the Invisible Woman. The lumbering behemoth plummeted just as she managed to free himself from the web. Masters screamed incoherently, and held one hand forward, commanding the Invisible Woman to exert a force field in front of her. The Thing collapsed unto it, but the sheer magnitude of the field she created was now taking its toll on Susan...And by extension to the puppet master himself.

He was starting to feel every blow, every thought, every exertion, and all the fatigue his thralls were now feeling. Finally, he realized that the thoughts of too many people were now crossing his head. He could feel fear, anger, and pain. Like pieces of broken glass jagged into his brain. He felt his throne crumble like glass under his fingers, and the briefcase was slipping out of his grip. Masters tried to order something as simple as having The Invisible Woman fly his throne up to a small building, to better assert the situation, but, for the first time, fear gripped his heart...

* * *

Alicia was used to living a life in the darkness. It was all a matter of habits. Every furniture piece, utensil, and item had to be in its precise place. She knew that, and her uncle knew it even better. The smell of clay and bleach was now overwhelming her. The sounds of the scuffle behind her were derailing her train of thought. A row of unfamiliar faces were grasped by her fingers.

"Gah! Are you sure we can't have a dance off or something?!" Quill yelled as he tried to fight her uncle's thrall. She heard the noise of broken glass and the wet, dull sound of punches. "Alicia! Don't think about me! Find the statues."

She had to hurry for Ben and Greg's sakes. There were too many people counting on her. Alicia was walking for what felt like hours in the maze. Every statue that was in her study, and then some, were now crowding the warehouse. Beautiful and plain faces, tall men, short women, heroes, and villains, finished and unfinished: All of her work was there. A monument to all her mistakes.

"Mr. Quill!" She called for her friend, only to hear him grunt, and stumble on the ground. She heard a stampede of steps coming towards them. Alicia was horrified at the thought of that many lives under her uncle's control. She tried to push that thought away for so long, but it was only delaying the inevitable. She was the one person in the world able to stop that madness.

"Careful!" She heard Quill voice, and she was now on the ground. She heard the dull thud of two men next to her, fighting for their life. Her body was covered in bruises from the fall and felt up the ashes of several statues under her fingers. She got up, still groggy from pain as only the sound of punches was echoing in the dark. She struggled to push forward, just to fall again on the ground. She felt a burning pain on her thigh. Alicia was now crawling on the ground, pushing herself forward with her fingertips, trying, and praying to reach her objective. It was at that moment, as her hand wandered forward in the dark that maybe it was too late.

Maybe it was her punishment. She thought of Ben...She thought about that simple man, and the beauty inside him. She thought about the man that, for a few days, made her forget how cold and lonely was her life up until that moment. How Ben was feeling lonely and turned to a person that didn't judge him for his looks. She only wanted to hold him again, to feel his embrace, to tell him she was sorry, and everything was ok…

Until she felt the familiar sensation of his jawline…

Alicia smirked.

* * *

Masters screamed. He felt like something flat out _shattered_ in his brain.

Susan Storm woke up from her daze, and her force field dissipated. All of a sudden, she was standing right in front of a webbed up Ben falling down on her. It wasn't the weirdest thing that happened to her that week. "What the h-Ben!" She projected some energy forward, knocking Ben on his feet. Her friend roared and managed to get free from the webbing, ripping it apart with his prodigious strength. "Johnny! Care to explain?"

"Later, Sue." Johnny was still trying to distract Reed by flying around, throwing some fireballs at the Fantasticar sides to offset his friend's aim. "We've got to save Reed, and Ben now!"

Masters was writhing in pain. Every connection he made was now being severed, blow after blow. In his head, echoed that constant shattering sound. "Alicia…" He roared through bloodied teeth. "You little traitor…"

"Now, Johnny!" Spider-Girl screamed and snatched away the briefcase from the distracted puppet master. The Human Torch disarmed Reed with one last, well placed, bolt of fire, and knocked him out with one punch after boarding the car.

"Sorry, Reed."

"Now, let's see what you have here?" As Spider-Girl started fiddling with the electrical lock, she heard a sharp, beeping noise coming from it. As the red light flashed faster and faster in front of her agape eyes, she realized to have made a huge mistake. "What the-"

"Look out!" Johnny rushed to her side, time slowing down as Spider-Girl threw the briefcase away in shock. Each bleep of the timer was stressed by a strand of web, as Spider-Girl tried to envelop it in a web to cushion the explosion. Johnny expanded his aura, creating a sphere of flames around his body, glowing as the one time he used it against Namor. It was burning so brightly that the explosion about to engulf Spider-Girl paled. He felt the energy of the bomb flow inside his aura, turning the shrapnel into vapor. All that remained were the ashes of the briefcase scattering in the wind.

Spider-Girl touched her head and chest, unsure if she was alive or not. " _How_ did you do that?"

" _Why_ did you that?!" Johny floated down, still wreathed in flames. "Who does that? Why would you open something that a bad guy wants? You could've died!"

"Awwww, you do care about me."

"Don't push it Spid-Gaah!" Ben was still under Masters' control and grabbed Johnny by the neck.

"Back off, all of you!" Masters was now a cornered animal, blood dripping from his nose. "Or I'll break his neck!"

"Ok, Mr. Masters-Boy, does that sound funny-You're finished. It's over." Spider-Girl jumped on a nearby car, readying her web shooter.

"Don't you dare touch him." Susan readied an invisible battering ram, aimed right at Masters' chest. "You won't touch my family. Not one of them!"

"And that goes for all of us." Reed was still groggy from the blow but had still enough strength to point that weapon to the right people for a change. "You used us...Why?"

"I said back off!" Masters snarled. Ben was still holding Johnny by the neck. The Human Torch looked extremely worried about that: One wrong move, and his neck would snap like a twig. Masters was desperate, searching for any escape route he could. He was surrounded by super beings on one side, and the dull yet nosy New Yorkers below. Grimm was blinking, the purple light of mind control turning on and off. "No, no, no, not now! You want him so much? Take him!" He ordered Ben to throw Johnny at the others as a last desperate effort. Reed steered the wheel of the Fantasticar and tried to catch him on board. He landed on the passenger seat with a dull _thunk_ , but he was mostly unharmed.

"W-what? What happened?!" Ben finally regained control of himself, and found himself on top of a rooftop, surrounded by his teammates, Alicia's well-groomed, but creepy uncle, and an overrated web star. "Ya got some explainin' to do."

"Ben, he controlled our minds!" Sue cried out as she was still pointing her construct at Masters.

"He hurt Johnny!" Reed said as he tended to Johnny, trying to wake him up."

"He had you guys steal something from Oscorp. Also, he's a jerk." Spider-Girl noticed she drew some confused looks at her. "What? I wanted to be included."

"I said back off!" Ben tried to do something, but the moment Masters reached for his coat, his fingers closed around his own throat.

"What the-?"

"You didn't think I would go out without a backup plan? Now, you'll do the right thing, and you will let me go!" He squeezed the puppet, causing Ben's hand to slowly crush his own chest. Ben looked down in horror as he felt his rock skin being slowly pierced. Burning pain spread to his chest while a black like ichor drew a massive stain on his chest. He tried to stop himself by pulling his arm with the other with all the strength he had left, but he couldn't budge it.

"Sue...Reed...Help me…" He started fading.

"Not this time!" Spider-Girl leaped forward and snatched the statue from Masters with a strand of her web. The sudden imbalance caused the puppet master to give one last order. One that his addled, broken mind couldn't take back. Ben stopped harming himself and used that covered in blood fist to hit the ground beneath them. The blow was so heavy, so cathartic and powerful, that it split the ground in half. Masters slipped and fell down without a word.

"What? I didn't...I didn't want to…" Ben grasped his air, a horrified look in his eyes.

"Is he?" Even if that man hurt her, and her family so much, she still felt aghast. It was still a human that suffered that fate.

"Should we check for the body?" Reed said, maneuvering the Fantasticar closer to the edge of the building. He turned to realize that Johnny was now gone. "Wait, where's-"

"Looking for me, guys?" Johnny poked from behind the building, flying triumphantly towards the group, and carrying the defeated master in his arms. He was unconscious from the fall and the stress of the battle. His face was caked in blood, but when Johnny checked his pulse, he confirmed him to be still alive. The Fantastic Four were together again: That was the only thing they needed. Johnny finally looked in the eyes of his family, and his heart filled with joy. He still wanted to look though, so he wiped the tear forming in the corner of his eye. Ben ripped off his damaged uniform to look at his wound. Reed parked the Fantasticar on that roof and started thinking up something to say. Sue tried to open her mouth to talk, but Johnny stopped her by raising his hand.

"Listen, Sue...I'm not that kind of guy, but...Could we get a group hug?"

"Absolutely." Sue embraced her brother, and they both felt everything was alright again. Ben leaped at the chance and lifted the two siblings from the ground. Reed stretched his arms to encircle Ben's titanic figure, and Sue, and Johnny. Spider-Girl was hugging Ben's shoulder.

"Wait, you're still there?" Johnny chuckled.

"Told you: I hate being left out."

Ben looked at her. "Yeah, sorry, but who are ya again?"

* * *

"In hindsight, if you hadn't tried to sneak up in the Baxter Building, we would still be Masters' thrall." Reed laughed while preparing for the analysis. He pressed a button to have a machine pop out from behind a wall. It looked like a giant spectrophotometer with a holographic station attached to it. "Do you have the sample?"

"Here you go." Spider-Girl produced a small sphere from the surface of her suit. She was hanging on the wall, trying very hard not to fangirl about being in Reed Richards laboratory. Without having to sneak in. She threw it to Reed, who caught it with his elongated hand. "And you're right, Doctor Richards. Even if matchstick here could've tried to be more diplomatic."

"Hey, excuse me if I think that a crazy Spider Person trying to sneak up in the Baxter is a little suspicious." Johnny was standing next to Spider-Girl, casually leaning on the wall. "Kids this day, I gotta tell ya." He briefly imitated Ben's accent, with the ever loving blue eyed Thing standing right there.

"'K, Number one: Ya can't be older than Johnny. Yer not fooling anyone. Second of all: That's my nickname fer him. Find a new one."

"Aaawwww: He's jealous of our little team up."

"I missed you, you old curmudgeon." Johnny held one fist, for Spider-Girl to fist bump it. "You're totally jealous." Johnny went from easygoing to suddenly forlorn in a nanosecond. He sheepishly walked forward, offering his hand to Ben. "Look, Ben: I'm sorry. For back then, for not being there when you needed me...You name it. I've been a jerk."

"Yeah, you were." Ben gave a quick slap to Johnny's hand.

"That's it? I'm baring my soul for you, and that's all you have to say?"

"...Jeez, alright. I'm sorry, too." Ben fidgeted around, trying to think something to say. "Ya did good. Ya both did. We would still be under that creepy guy's control. I'm proud of ya. I'm glad I got you guys. Ya know, until our next scuffle!" Ben and Johnny burst out into laughter. It was long, noisy, and cathartic. It was something they both waited a long time for it. "We're the Fantastic Four. It means somethin'!"

"It's never too late to be the Fantastic Five, though," Susan said, turning towards Spider-Girl.

"Wait, what? You guys…?!" Peni jumped away from the wall, facing Susan, incredulous. "You think I'm ready?"

"Why not?" Reed said, still busy checking out his data. The computer soon started composing a holographic representation of a very complex compound. "You have the potential to do great things. You're skilled, you're intelligent, and you work well with us. Or against us, it depends." He chuckled. "You could at least consider it."

"I wonder how you'd look in blue." Johnny patted on her back.

"We could use a mascot." Ben said.

Peni lowered her gaze on the floor. She knew she was at a crossroad in her life. It looked glamorous and beautiful. It was an opportunity that a teenage arachnid superhero could find once in a lifetime. She wouldn't have been alone in her crusade anymore. Yet, it felt wrong. She wasn't ready for it. Not yet, anyway. "I...I can't."

"Why?" Johnny looked downright confused at that.

"I...I have to do my own thing. You guys have to think about giant monsters, ancient kings, creepy guys with mind-controlling clays...I got my enemies. My responsibilities. I can't mix you up in that. I know you can handle it, but I can't make you carry that burden. Maybe one day I will, but until then...I'll just be your friendly neighborhood Spider-Girl."

Reed placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "We understand. This is very noble of you, Spider-Girl."

"Unless you suddenly remember that the pay is really good. You know, I got an au-Uh, a hamster to keep afloat, yeah."

Reed chuckled. "I'm sorry to say that this a no-profit organization."

"Yeah, the government put lots of money into this, but in our pockets." Ben tried very hard not to snicker. His chest was still hurting, so he interpreted it as a divine punishment.

"I'm sorry for your hamster, though." Sue rolled her eyes. Spider-Girl looked sheepish at that: Was she that bad of a liar?

Reed cleared his voice to draw some attention. "Oh, it looks the analysis is complete." The team and Spider-Girl gathered around the hologram. "This is troubling, indeed, Spider-Girl. It looks like the sample you brought us has the same radiation signature that we share. The source of our powers. It's an incredible coincidence. I've also taken the liberty to analyze the particles attached to your suit, made of a material I still can't quite grasp, I have to say, and that, too, fits the bill."

"Oh...Wow." Spider-Girl tittered nervously. "Looks like everything is connected."

"Spider-Girl…" Susan approached Spider-Girl calmly, placing a hand on her forearm. "We know you want to protect your secret identity, but you could tell us one thing: Where did you get that suit?"

"It...Uh...Comes in the package. I got it from Oscorp. I think we all caught up on them doing some shady stuff."

"Well, that does it." Ben slammed his fists together. "We've gotta make a call to this Oscorp fella. Ya did say that Masters used ta work with them, isn't it?"

"Yes." said Reed. "But it looks like our prisoner isn't willing to cooperate." Reed turned on a screen, showing Masters inside a room. His face was still smeared with blood and was muttering nonsense, rocking back and forth with his head between his hands. "The shock from the battle and the stress from his own powers did great damage to his mind. We will try to heal him, though. He has a lot to answer."

"He didn't work alone, though."

Ben glared at the increasingly abashed Human Torch.

"I mean, I'm sure she's got a good reason and everything…" Johnny skedaddled as far as he could without leaving the room away from Ben. "Still, we made a real mess. What about those guards working for Oscorp?"

"They are alive." Sue said. "A bit bruised, but they'll make it. We made a lot of damage. Ross was furious, though, not to mention the fact that the other guys want to talk about what happened."

"Wait, what other guys?" Ben asked.

"Strategic Hazard Intervention, Espionage Logistics Directorate. Or S.H.I.E.L.D. They prefer to go with that, now."

"Oh, those guys you pickpocketed."

"You pickpocketed a secret agent. That's like the third coolest thing I heard today." Spider-Girl raised her hand, waiting for a high five. Susan left her hanging. "Oh, Doctor Richards?" Spider-Girl raised her hand again and waved it around. "Reed? Can I call you Reed?"

"What is it?"

"Can you try and find a way to, let's say, _neutralize_ that sample I brought you? It's capable of enhancing strength and stamina of a subject, but it does things to your mind." Spider-Girl sighed. "The guys that used it were more like savage animals than persons. I have to stop whoever is doing this. It's not right."

"Hmmm…" Reed cupped his own chin, lost in thought. "The sample you have brought as started decaying. I would need a fresh sample of this serum if you manage to get on-"

"Speaking of which…" Spider-Girl produced another small vial from her suit. "Is this the one? I managed to grab one from Masters' briefcase. Before it exploded."

"You sly devil you." Johnny patted Spider-Girl's head. Peni puffed her cheek at glared at The Human Torch. "That was still ungodly dangerous of you."

"Awwww, you _still_ care for me."

"Don't get cocky: If you died, it would've looked terrible on my superhero resume."

"Whatever ya say, matchstick." Ben chuckled. While everyone was caught up in conspiracies, and nerd stuff, he received a message on his phone. It was from Alicia. He let out a deep sigh and wondered what to do. The message simply said she waited for him outside. Even if all that had happened, he still wanted to see her again. Whatever excuse he could make, there was going back. Even if was for his powers, even if he was just a pawn of her uncle, that girl still approached him. She still made him feel like a person. He couldn't give that up.

Ben texted her back: I'm coming.

"I promise, we will call you once the antidote is ready. We will need proofs, but Oscorp will answer what they have done. Until then…" Reed offered his hand to Spider-Girl, who shook enthusiastically. "Good luck to you. The Fantastic Four owe you. Whenever you need our help, just call us. By the way, how do we contact you?"

"Well, you could call me home...Or wait, you could check out my website…" Spider-Girl scratched her head. "Uhm...You know what, I'll call you. You'll know it's me. Until then…" She clicked her tongue and held her fingers in the shape of a gun. "See you around." Spider-Girl looked around to search for a window for her dramatic exit until she realized there was none. Reed rolled his eyes, and nonchalantly pushed a button to open one, allowing the arachnid hero to get out of there. She swung from a web and was gone in a tick.

"Strange girl." Sue said. "Brave, but strange."

"You can still catch up to her, matchstick." Ben very carefully nudged Johnny with his elbow, sporting a wide grin. "Ya don't wanna say goodbye?"

"Oh, come on. We'll see her around. She said that." Johnny thought about that for a moment, before wreathing himself in flames and flying out of the window, which Reed suspiciously kept open. "Hey, Spider-Girl. Wait!"

As Johnny flew outside, Susan shook her head. "Way better than the crowd he hangs around with, that's for sure."

"Ya can say that again, Suzie Q."

"Hope she finds what she's looking for." Reed was about to tell everyone he was starting on his research, seal himself in his lab, and get to work, but something stopped him. He felt a warmth whenever he was with his family. He felt safe. Everything was in its place. "Do you want to…" Reed adjusted his glasses. " _Do_ something? Not work related."

"Play Pictionary?" Sue clapped her hands, and beamed, giddy as a child.

"Yes, please." Ben went to the living room, ready to set everything up. "I'll go grab Don and Jane. They need some fun after all of this."

Meanwhile, Reed opened a communication channel and kept it on standby. On the screen, the image of an eagle emblazoned in a shield appeared. For once, he didn't want to think about cold science and distant authorities. "The Silver Surfer…" He whispered.

"What did you say?"

"That was the name. Our comet. The Silver Surfer. I could never forget that."

Without a word, Sue ran back to him and held him tight. Reed was shocked at first, even confused, but he embraced her back. Everything was right.

Spider-Girl was crawling on the Baxter Building's surface, taking a long look of New York above. She was deep in thought, wondering where to go first, what do next, if Aunt May still needed that soy milk. She caught with the corner of her The Human Torch rushing to her side. "Hey, uh, Spider-Girl. Man, I can't believe I don't know who you are. Don't you have a real name?"

"Sorry. Gotta keep my mystique." She started casually strolling up the wall, arms crossed behind her head.

"Of course. I understand that." Johnny looked down, noticing that they were now in the exact same spot where they met. "Brings back memories, is it? This place, I mean."

"Hey, if you take out the killer robots it wasn't that bad. " Spider-Girl stopped on her tracks and sat on the side of the building. "It was fun, though. Looking forward to doing that again."

"With or without supervillains?"

"I think those are a given. Like that one guy with metal wings."

"Which reminds me, he's still out there." She sighed. "And it won't get any easier. I know that now."

"You sure you can do all of that alone? Maybe you could get a team of your own, one day."

"You think I could pull it off?"

"Hey, we did great out there. So, who knows?"

Spider-Girl sprung back on her feet. "Wanna race me? The last one reaching The Statue of Liberty pays lunch."

"Oh, think you can keep up the pace?" Johnny smirked.

"You're on."

 _I detect a rise of estrogens, and progesterone whenever you get close to Mr. Storm.  
_

"Come on, Sp/Dr! Don't be like that!" Peni was glad her mask was still covering her face, lest Johnny would see her blush. The two went to off their race, leaving a trail of fire and webs, unfettered and free as a boy and girl should have been. Their powers made them much more than they were, but for that moment, they wanted to hold on what they were before.

* * *

 _Project Pegasus, Devil's Point, Wyoming._

Carol Danvers knew that the world was changing. Her superiors, her agents, and even her own subconscious were constantly repeating this mantra, day after day, and night after night. The woman didn't even remember which was which: She hadn't seen the light in weeks, just the green lamps flickering all the time in the lab. The organization was putting its everything for that project, and she at least hoped her efforts, and everyone else's would be rewarded.

"Is the Bridge operational?" She looked at the project with some pride. For an outsider, it may have looked like a tall, wide ring of metal with some circuitry attached to it. It was still a rough prototype, but if it worked, it would've changed the world for real.

"We've got optimal readings, ma'am." She removed a lock of blond hair from her eyes, squinting her eyes as she double checked on that.

"Is Overseer Lawson ready?"

"Yes, ma'am. He wanted to talk to you."

She reached for the project's director while he was busy checking on a holographic screen. "Oh, Carol. Right on time." He was a handsome man with blue eyes, and curly light brown hair, sporting an elegant widow peak. No matter how many hours they had spent on that project, the man always looked sunny, and full of energy since day one. Carol wished she could hit him with her own eye bags for that. "You know, what I was thinking? One day we should open this up to the public. Can you imagine that? We could advertise this as 'Area 51, the cool version."

"You wanted to see me, sir?" Carol stood before her him, her face trying not to betray months of pent-up frustration, and tolerance of bad jokes.

"You know, I was thinking. Maybe after this experiment, we could, I don't know, grab a bite? For dinner?"

"The rules on fraternization are very clear about that, Doctor Lawson."

"You can call me Phil if you want."

"Doctor Lawson is fine."

The man looked like he was struck right into the heart, but soon enough returned to his cheerful facade. Carol appreciated that the man respected her space. Maybe he wasn't that bad if a bit bland. "So, what are your thoughts on the project?"

"It was worth losing my beauty sleep over this."

Lawson laughed sincerely at that. He looked like he was holding that one for a long time. "There it is: Mankind opening its way to the stars."

"What do _you_ think about, Phil? Do you think we are ready for it?"

The man lowered his head, a darker shade growing over his eyes. His sunny attitude was a thing of the past. "Honestly? I do. Not gonna lie, Carol: There's a crazy universe out there. You can be ready only if you stick together. There is no other way."

Carol put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You mean if 'we' stick together."

"Yes." His voice trembled slightly. "Yes, of course."

The portal was now glowing with energy, and a sphere of pure light manifested in its center. All the facility alarms started ringing at the same time. A look of horror spread to Lawson's face. "It can't be...Not now!"

"Clyde? What happened?" Carol shouted from above while running down the stairs to deal with the emergency. A young agent got up from his position trying to explain and make sense of what was happening. The sphere was getting larger.

"I have no idea! Everything is off the scal-" Clyde's words turned into a pained gurgle as metal tentacles pierced through his chest. The sphere of light had turned into an unholy combination of flesh, and machine. A giant monster, clad in a smooth metallic armor with red outlines, tentacles bursting out where arms and legs were supposed to be. It possessed an elongated head, sporting yellow eyes, and flat metallic teeth. The creature lifted Clyde's lifeless body, and throw it on a wall. Agents grabbed their guns and unleashed everything on the monster to no avail. The creature lurched forward, mowing down whoever was so brave to approach it. Its tentacles danced and whirred everywhere, spattering the lab with blood.

"It can't be! It's too soon! Too soon!" Lawson was shocked. Enough to not make him realize one tentacle was striking right in his direction.

"Get down!" Carol leaped, and pushed Lawson out of the way, allowing the tentacle to be embedded in the wall behind them. Carol drew out her pistol and fired her whole clip on the creature. The tentacles grabbed the railings, allowing the creature to lift itself up, its metallic maw just inches from the two.

Carol saw that the end was near. She closed her eyes and accepted her fate.

Another bright light invaded the room. Carol heard the sound of an explosion, and metal crashing. When she opened her eyes, the creature was now laying dead with a hole at the center of its torso.

Philip Lawson was next to her, but this time the man was clad into a bright, white armor. He sported a crystal in the center of his chest, and a crest adorned his helmet. His fist was raised towards the creature's wreck, glowing of golden light. He turned his head towards Carol, and the woman noticed he was now sporting light blue skin and milk-white eyes.

"I think I've got some explaining to do…"

"I'm partial to that dinner now."

* * *

Author's Notes: You cannot believe how much fun I had writing this first Marvel Team Up. Expect many more to come. next chapter: The invasion.


	8. The First Family 06: The Invasion

It all started with a dream to reach the stars, and then, downgrading it to just reach a comfortable career.

Carol Danvers learned very soon to not expect much from life.

When she rose through the ranks of S.H.I.E.L.D., thought of it as a noble duty. When she reached the position of head of security at project PEGASUS, she thought of it as a cushy job.

The wrecks of an alien being, the body of her coworkers spread around the facility, their blood still fresh on her black suit and the overseer of the project transforming in some kind of shining alien knight were begging to differò

"You know, Phil, I'm ready for that explaining now. Any time."

"Do you want the abridged version or-?"

"Anything goes." Carol bent down, searching in the piles of corpses if anyone was still alive. She threw a glance over her shoulder to see if the alien masquerading as Lawson was going to try something funny. Instead, he was standing still, eerily calm. His armor was not even glowing as much as before. It now looked like more of a regular piece of armory, stained of blood and dust.

"Carol, we've got to go now. There's not much time left for your planet."

"We have to warn everyone. We have to save the others. We can't be the only one left in the facility."

"The alarms were activated. They'll know the way. If other killforms swarm this place, they won't stand a chance anyway. Neither will we."

"Killform? What does that even mean?" Carol raised her gun towards the still collected Lawson. "Who _are_ you?"

Lawson raised both hands. "I don't mean to harm you, but we have to go, Carol. Now."

Her finger caressed the trigger.

Lawson sighed. " I'm the Plus Komander Geheneris HalaSon Marh Vel of the Kree Empire. The Supreme Intelligence, thrice blessed ruler of the empire assigned me to this planet at the edge of the galaxy to monitor the activities, and open the way for colonizing it." His voice sounded lower, with metallic undertones. His every gesture was studied and artificial. He didn't stop to breath or stumbled on his words. "That thing over there was a Killform. Elite troopers designed to utterly annihilate native opposition. That won't be the last one."

"Fancy way to say you're a spy." Carol took one step towards him, her sight still firmly pointed at his uncovered face.

"Not anymore. Carol...If you let me explain, and follow me, I promise you will live." Marh Vel offered her his hand, showing Carol his palm. For a moment, the slightest moment, his perfectly sculpted lips trembled. He was scared as much as she was. That painfully human gesture was enough for her.

"I might regret this." Carol sighed and lowered her gun. "Then again, you could've blasted my head off in one second instead of trying to flirt with me all this time."

"Trying?" He cocked his head, sounding slightly offended by the remark. "Isn't this how you Terrans behave with the opposite gender all the time?"

"Most people would've just thought you're terrible at flirting rather than you being an alien."

"Looks like your 'entertainment programs,' as you call them, failed me once again."

"Yeah, depends on the show. What, aliens use Netflix now?"

"I do, and it's one of the finest achievements of our galaxy."

The Killform twitched, its tentacles grasping on the metal floor. Viscous material grew out from the edges of the hole in its chest, refilling it quickly. Its glowing eyes shined of red light.

"Oh, come on!" Carol Danvers pointed her gun at it, but given her rate of success till then, she was doing that more as an instinct than anything.

"D'ast, it's adapting!" Marh Vel spat on the ground. Carol still had no idea how aliens talked, but she swore it sounded like a swear. "They're not pulling any punches anymore."

The creature lifted itself from the ground. Its shape trembled, and the hole on his torso closed. The Killform shambled forward, slithering with its bloodied tentacles. Mar Vehl stood before it, looking at it straight in the eyes.

"Phil? Marvel? What are you doing?"

"It's Marh _Vel_."

"Details."

"I want to try something. Maybe I can disable it." Mar Vehl's chest lit up. A glowing green arrow appeared at the center of his armor, surrounded by alien symbols. The creature lowered itself slightly to meet his gaze, seemingly tamed. "Stand ready to receive Unikode."

The monster stopped, its eyes having switched to a yellow light. The creature really seemed like its operating system was rebooting. Any living being would've been pretty pissed off at getting a hole in their chest. "Confirm rank." The Killform growled. Carol was looking for exits.

"Plus Komander Geheneris HalaSon Marh Vel." He said calmly. Carol couldn't understand a word; All she heard was gibberish, like insects clicking their mandibles.

The monster opened its mouth to envelop Marh Vel with a red light. "Visualskan confirmed."

"Query: Is the infiltration protocol terminated?"

"Affirmative. The natives have discovered the Bridge. The way is opened. Comply or be disavowed." The creature's eyes turned red again, its tentacles coiling at the base of its body. Marh Vel's body was tensing up, repeatedly opening and closing his fist. Carol saw sparks coming from his hands. She figured that must've been their version of an itchy trigger finger.

"You have reached this installation from another S.H.I.E.L.D. laboratory. Query: Who is your handler?"

"General Yahn Ragg activated the sleeper agents in the city the natives call 'New York.'" The monster's spires were getting dangerously close to Marh Vel's feet. "Soon, the Accuser shall arrive in a few nanocycles to speartip the invasion."

Marh Vel spat on the ground. She wasn't sure of how the alien language worked, but she was pretty sure it was a cuss word.

"Carol, listen to me. I'll distract so you can use the Bridge." Marh Vel returned speaking English. "We have to meet back in New York."

"No way, I'm not leaving you here."

Marh Vel rolled his eyes and let out a frustrated groan. "Fine...When I say go, we'll take him out together."

"You got a space gun for me?"

"Stand back. Opposition shall be annihilated. Visualskan protocol terminated." The monster said, still distant and mechanical. It looked like there was seething cruelty behind its adherence to protocol. A love of formality that hid a whole programming born out of battle lust.

"Go!" Marh Vel took off, his suit shining of that same green glow, and grabbed the Killform by the neck. While the monster struggled, the soldier closed his fist towards Carol. A band of white energy formed around her wrist. The glowing ring soon morphed into a gun, still attached to her wrist. The monster's appendages hissed, ready to strike at Marh Vel's from every angle. Carol pointed her weapon, and a barrage of energy beams came out of it, cutting off the deadly appendages. The monster hissed in anger and unclenched its jaws, trying to take a bite off the soldier.

Marh Vel screamed and sank his finger deep in the monster's chassis. He let out another, more visceral scream, and threw the monster away, sending it crashing through the facility's ceiling with his immense strength. Carol barely dodged the debris cascading back inside, while the sun on the Wyoming desert shone above them once again. The creature was still flying when Marh Vel flew to the portal's commands. "Great job, Carol."

"What are you doing now?"

"That won't stop the Killform, and more will come out of the portal. We've got to detonate the whole facility to stop it." The woman turned around and saw nothing but death and silence around her. The alarm was still ringing in their ears. If they hadn't anything else, the procedure would've been to erase the evidence. All of it. They included. "There is no other way."

"Doesn't mean I like it." Carol turned to see the creature's head poking from the gash on the ceiling. The Killform had climbed the side of the mountain where the laboratory was hidden, one step at a time with its tentacles. It roared, charging a sphere of light into its mouth. She shot a few more beans at it, hoping to throw off its aim. The beams bounced off its armor with no effect.

"Is it still adapting?"

"Always!"

"Your people are assholes."

He sighed, hanging his head still operating on the commands. "I know."

Marh Vel slammed his fist inside the workstation, and his armor was now glowing again. His chest now sported different symbols. The workstation was now glowing with energy, and another sphere of pure light was being conjured at the center of the portal. Carol didn't bat an eye, keeping her weapon pointed at the monster. The Killstorm was shrieking and trembling by the sheer power his weapon was now showing up. One wrong move and they would've been reduced to dust.

The monster fired.

Carol closed her eyes and felt Marh Vel pulling her close to his chest. It was a weird last thought to notice he looked way shorter when in human form.

Everything went white.

* * *

"Can't say I'm not impressed."

"Sue? A double negation not only is incorrect, but it would also mean you are impressed by it."

"Hah! Nerd!"

"Quiet, matchstick."

The Fantastic Four were not unaccustomed to strange and terrible happenings. The head of a global multinational organization dedicated to maintaining world peace and superhuman control was strange and terrible. Especially when one was superhuman.

"General Fury is arriving," Reed said while checking the latest calculations regarding his portal technology. Susan was at his side, silently watching the stream of data on the screen. "I wonder what kind of man he is."

"I didn't serve with him, stretch, but everyone knew about the guy," Ben recalled. "He's been in Kosovo, the Gulf War, even North Korea. Or he would've been if it was an official mission."

"So, he's some kind of badass super spy?" Johnny chuckled.

"Let me tell ya something, matchstick: General Ross wasn't badass _enough_ to make the cut as director of S.H.I.E.L.D."

Johnny's smirk fell flat. "...And that's a good thing, right?"

"Fer S.H.I.E.L.D.? Sure."

Meanwhile in the medical lab, Don Blake and Jane Foster were busy studying and comparing the psychic wavelengths of the Four, after the unfortunate Masters accident. "So...I think we made an impression," Don said, spinning on his chair towards Jane.

Doctor Foster raised an eyebrow, her eyes darting between Don and the readings.

"Superspies, government conspiracies, I wasn't expecting that. I mean, I knew what was I getting into when I heard about Johnny and the whole bursting into flame thing, but, I don't know, it felt simpler before."

"Fury...Ross...Little men who think to have the power. Let them play their games. I'm a professional. A woman of science. I don't' have time for intrigues and conspiracies. I am where I need to be. And you, too."

"You always know how to cheer me up." Don got up and kissed her gently on the cheek. "I wonder...What would you've done if we weren't assigned to the Baxter?"

"Join Doctors without Borders." Jane said without skipping a beat while still compiling her report. Don stared at her in utter awe.

."What did I do to deserve you?" He whispered.

"Dumb luck and a pretty face." She chuckled.

"You know, it's a blessing in disguise we have this. We have it easy. Maybe easy enough to, you know, having children one day." He leaned back on his chair towards grin, sporting a relaxed smile.

"Smooth." Jane knew what he was up to and started untying her hair.

"How about we try for that right now?"

"Oh, you're the worst." She lunged, pulling Don into a deep, warm kiss. The doctor gathered all of his strength to temporarily break that kiss and go close the door...

"Ah, Doctor Moy...I didn't hear you come in. I'll be here in a minute." Doctor Elder grabbed his cane and got up from his workstation. It didn't have a screen but produced a soft, droning sound. The machine had a circular plate filled with a granular substance. He was still clad in rags and a makeshift cape, but he managed to project some presence despite that.

"Are you sure about your…" Alyssa looked around, immersed in total darkness. "Working conditions?"

"I've lived in total darkness for years, Doctor Moy. I'm used to it. My sight wasn't that great in the first place, and Susan was gentle enough to provide me with sound-based equipment. It doesn't bother me. It makes me closer to my subjects."

"Speaking of them, you may have heard of S.H.I.E.L.D."

"That government organization? Back in my day, they started recruiting the youngest, brightest minds, so maybe they have a claim. That or they are simply upstarts." He chuckled grimly.

"Upstarts or not, they hold some authority and may have some issues with your subjects. Aren't you afraid?"

The man flashed a timid smile. "Doctor Moy, I've retired in my subterranean lair for many years because of men like them. Bold of you to assume I won't simply do the same. The surface world is changing, but back there? Nothing does. Unless…"

"Unless what?"

"You ever wondered what caused that seismic activity? The one that caused the portal to malfunction?"

Alyssa adjusted her glasses, circling around the so-called underworld ruler. "You're saying that you're responsible?"

"Perhaps. My subjects have always been tumultuous folks. Even I haven't fully explored the full depths of Subterranea. I wonder if my activities may have set those things in motion." Elder sighed, caressing his postation. "For that, I am bound to this place, and I owe something to you."

"It's an interesting way to see it. If one believed in destiny, of course."

Elder's machinery made a louder, sharper shrieking noise. The granular substance trembled slightly and shaped itself into a replica of New York The sand buildings were now slowly crumbling to pieces, ravaged by an unknown vibration coming from the sky.

"What does that mean?" Alyssa pointed at the machine.

"Trouble."

"This time, we are ready, though. " Alyssa Moy flashed a faint smile as she showed Elder a device. It looked like the head of his controlling staff. "What do you say, Doctor?"

"Giganto has been feeling peckish as of lately…"

* * *

General Fury was finall there. He came in a way less grandiose way any of the four had imagined. He was carried in a practical yet advanced black aircraft and was accompanied just by a handful of agents, clad in grey and blue uniform. Nick Fury himself was a tall and well built middle aged man with rich, brown skin. He sported an eyepatch over his right eye and moved with sure swagger, his long coat billowing in the wind. At the General sides stood a stern, mature looking, black-haired woman, strutting forward with a sure step. The other man contrasted her in every way: he had a much more relaxed, almost sleepy appearance, and everyone else immediately recognized him as Agent Coulson.

The Four were waiting on the helicopter pad, and Mister Fantastic separated himself from the group to go and greet him in person. The two men squared each other off for a moment filled with utter tension.

"I thought you'd be taller." Fury said, staring right into Reed's eyes.

Reed pushed his glasses higher with a simple touch of his finger and stared right back at Fury's. "I could make myself taller, but it wasn't worth the effort."

Johnny tried with all his might not to bellow a well deserved "Oh, snap!", and click his fingers.

Fury paused and flashed just the slightest hint of a smile. "I like you already, Doctor Richards. Ross said that you were, and I quote, a dangerous nerd."

"Nerds get things _done_ , General."

"That's exactly why I'm here, Doctor. Those two are my top collaborators. You already know Agent Coulson."

Coulson waved affectionately at the team. "How's it going, Susan?"

"We can't complain, Phil."

"You two are friends?" Fury quickly switched pointing to Susan back to Coulson.

"She stole from me once to escape a lockdown and then she became a superhero!" Coulson gushed. "That was fun."

"Yes, Phil, you told us. It's still funny." Despite her words, the other woman's mask of professionalism didn't budge.

"This ray of sunshine is my other right hand. Jessica Drew, those are the Fantastic Four. The Fantastic Four, Jessica Drew."

"Charmed." She said flatly, her icy green eyes prowling for a wrong move from either side.

"Come on, Doctor Richards. You and your team have business to do."

The Four and the Agents got together in the elevator. Coulson was tapping his foot in rhythm with the music, but Drew's glare quickly put a stop to that.

"What? It's catchy."

"It's irritating, Phil." Drew massaged her temple. "Who uses whale songs as elevator music?"

"Thank you!" Ben exclaimed. "I tried ta tell him, but he keeps insisting on that's relaxing."

Reed cleared his throat. "It _is_ relaxing, Ben. You just have to get in the right mindset."

"Funny. Fitz-Simmons thinks the same. You guys would hit it off." Drew said, finally cracking a hint of a smile.

"So, Doctor Richards, aren't you afraid that the big, bad spies are lurking in your mad scientist lair?" Fury said, his hands beneath his back.

"I may be a little neuroatypical, but I consider myself doing noble work. Also, lairs are usually dark and hidden from sight. The Baxter Building was built with the finest tech and-"

"Is he always like that?" Fury lightly teased Susan.

"In good days."

"So to answer your question in a more orthodox way, General Fury, I'm not afraid of you."

"We are very similar persons, you and I. Both of us are trying to make things work in a world that is doing everything it can to mess that up. Like a waiter setting up the perfect table, and then a smart guy does that trick where you pull the tablecloth, leaving the dishes undisturbed. Funny, yes, but then you'd have to put back _everything_ on it."

"What are you implying, General?"

"That that party trick was never fun." Johnny shrugged. "Duh."

"I guess it's not the time to mention that I have the perfect technique." Coulson smugly adjusted his tie.

"Your experiment was that party trick. It changed everything. You single-handedly demonstrated that parallel dimensions to Earth somehow exist, drawn the ire of ancient, unknown civilizations and that you can kick their teeth in. This makes a lot of people angry. People like Ross for example."

"And I even sent him a basket fer Christmas." Ben chuckled grimly.

"What was in it?" Johnny asked.

"Jus' the basket. I'm terrible with last minute gifts."

"Not to mention Oscorp's little experiment and his creepy puppets. We'll have to make a long talk with him one day. Not to mention the puppet master himself." Fury said.

"We have the perfect place for people like him." Jessica replied. "A roof on his head, three miles a day, really, we'd be doing him a favor."

"I've heard about the Triskelion, Agent Drew." Susan noted. "A prison is still a prison, no matter how many fancy titles you can get."

"Well…" Jessica sighed. "'Suppose we can't hold all the secrets from someone that goes by 'The Invisible Woman.'"

"Not gonna lie: The government doesn't trust you." Fury continued. "In fact, you're not even their first choice as for secret superhuman projects go."

"So, what do you want from us?" Susan scoffed.

"Right to the point, Doctor Storm. You may have reached other dimensions, but the what really bothers me right now is Earth. Have you ever heard of a little nation named Latveria?"

Reed lowered his gaze, his breathing growing quieter. There was something dark dwelling beneath his once gentle eyes. He lifted his head, squaring staring Fury in his eye without faltering. "Sadly, yes."

"That little state is giving us problems. Problems that only the Fantastic Four could resolve." Fury offered his hand, smirking all the while. Both men knew Fury had reached his goal. "What do you think, Doctor Richards? Care for a little team up?"

* * *

"The Spider Menace attacks the Fantastic Four?!" Peni Parker's rage was so loud she drew the attention of several onlookers. Though tiny, her glare was enough to shut down any possible further complaints. "Are they nuts? Is this even legal?!" She quickly returned to righteous anger as she shoved the webpage on Liz's face.

"Hey, it's the Daily Bugle. It's legit." Liz just kept walking unfazed, even with the front page of presumed libel waving in front of her. "Traditional journalism is here to stay. At least for a few more years."

"Well, the Daily Bugle is wrong. It's bad and wrong. Badong!" Peni snapped. "I'll speak with the responsible. I'll set thing right. Even if it's the last thing I do!"

"Yeah, very noble, but why do you care so much about Spider-Girl?"

"I-it's unfair! Everyone deserves a second chance." She stammered. "I mean, I saw it on Youtube. She was trying to _help_ the Fantastic Four!"

Liz raised an eyebrow. "How do you know that?"

Peni sincerely felt trapped in a box after that. She tried to mask that with her still sincere outrage. "It's so obvious she was trying to help!"

"Honestly? I always thought she was cool, but I'll give her the benefit of the doubt. Just because of you, Peni." She affectionately patted her friend's head. "She's still not as cool as the Human Torch."

"Yeah, well, that guy cheats in races." Peni grumbled and pouted. She realized that the last of her allowance was wasted in satisfying The Human Torch's gargantuan hunger.

"And how do you know that-"

Peni's Spider Sense went off so strong, the girl fell on her knees, holding her head between her head to keep it from exploding. "What is happening?!" She cried at the top of her lungs. "My head!" Something kept beating in the back of her head with no intention to stop, like a time bomb.

"Peni!" Liz immediately bent over to try and help her friend. "Come on, I'll help-"

Peni pulled her in a hug and didn't let go of her until a bright violet flash torn the sky up. Something crashed in the side of a building, sending flaming debris to crash on the street. Peni fought through the pain, and on an instinct dragged away Liz by her wrist with a steel-like grip, trying to find a way among the panicking and gawking crowd. Peni's mind was swarming with thoughts about what could've happened until she heard Liz's voice screaming at her from behind.

"Peni! You're hurting me!" The girl immediately let Liz go, silently lamenting of how she still couldn't control her strength.

"S-sorry…"

"What is that?" Liz looked upwards massaging her wrist. The girl instinctively pushed Penio behind herself to shield her from whatever was coming. Peni stood on the tips of her toes, trying to look from behind Liz's flowing brown hair. Soon, more flashes of violet energy marked the sky in a radial pattern, crashing through every building in their way. Peni's Spider Sense screeched, and she barely pushed Liz out of the way, before she ended up trampled by the fleeing New Yorkers. Liz clung to Peni, who was now focused on getting her to safety.

"I don't want to die! Oh, God, please!" Liz cried out, her fingers gripping Peni's black shirt tightly.

Peni looked up once again, and on top of one of the buildings hit by the violet light, there was now a creature standing. The monster opened it metallic maw, roaring all the while, waving its tentacles in search for prey. It looked exactly like a creature from a summer blockbuster, but this time it was real, deadly and better animated.

"P-Peni?! What is that? What's happening?" Liz's face was a mess, tears running on her freckled cheeks as she looked with abject horror at the creature. Peni quickly hugged her and noticed her shoulders couldn't stop trembling. She gently cupped her cheeks, trying to calm Liz down and keep her looking at the unnerving creature.

"I don't know what it is, but we've got to go, Liz. Find your family! Make sure they're safe!"

"M-my mom!" Liz gasped. "My place is so close! I have to make sure she's ok!" She grabbed Peni's hand, trembling all the while. She squeezed Liz's hand, gently placing it on her cheek.

"And I've got to find Aunt May, Liz.

"Will you?" Liz sniffed. "Will you be ok?"

"Liz, look at me!" Peni pushed her face closer to Liz's, looking her deep in the eyes.

"Everything will be fine. I promise." She whispered, touching Liz's forehead with her own.

Somehow, that was enough. Liz's lips trembled as she tried to say goodbye, then ran away like the wind, without saying a word. Peni ran to the opposite sides, disappearing in an always familiar alley to change to her alter ego.

"Any ideas, Sp/Dr?"

 _I...I have no idea, Peni. They don't resemble anything I've seen in this world._

"Whatever they are, people are in danger." She took off her jacket while the red substance coming out of her body was solidifying, composing her suit piece by piece. The moment it covered her face, and the array of parameters was full in sight, Peni spun her web and started swinging away, feet pointing forward. She focused her thoughts, conjuring a HUD with which to keep track of targets by gaze alone. Spider-Girl flew to the nearest street, guided by her Spider-Sense, and unleashed a barrage of webshots to create a net over a fleeing crowd.

Peni stressed each shot with a scream, suit's biomass trembling from her sheer determination. Her blood boiled as she saw each piece of rubble fall in slow motion, her web just expanding enough to catch the full brunt of the disaster. Her net managed to cushion the fall of the flaming debris before they crashed on the unwitting people, stopping at mere inches before they became a problem. Some people instinctively leaped to the ground in the hopes of not getting hit, but they soon marveled at being unharmed.

"Thanks, Spider-Girl!" A voice cried, and Peni looked down, realizing to have just saved Flash Thompson's dumb, blond head. The boy looked up with tears in his eyes like he was greeting a messenger of the Almighty. "You...You saved me!" He bellowed, following that with a fit of incredulous, vibrant laughter.

Peni kept telling herself that, yes, she would've saved him even if she knew it was him there.

"You're welcome, uh, citizen." She pointed her arm towards a nearby lamppost and started swinging away with her web before it got even more awkward.

"I love you!" Flash Thompson proclaimed, trying to climb on a still scared passerby to have his voice better reach her ear. "I freakin' love you!" He hollered again as everyone else tried to escort, no, _drag_ him to safety.

"Uh, thanks?!"

Spider-Girl would've had to fight off the sheer disgust later. Right then, she had a city to save. Or at least try.

* * *

When Carol Danvers reopened her eyes, she was glad they were still attached to her head. She stumbled around, trying to make sense of her surrounding. Carol noticed something in the dark, almost tripping over it, before being grabbed by Marh Vel's cold hand. The soldier helped her back on her feet while she finally realized to be in another Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S. Behind them stood the ruined wreck of another portal, once again surrounded by corpses. Carol rushed to a corner to vomit. She tried to justify herself by not having ever been teleported around.

"Are you ok?"

"Just...Must be something I ate." Carol wiped her mouth off with a sleeve. "So, where are we?"

Marh Vel touched his wrist, conjuring a holographic map. "Princeton, New York."

"Oh, good, we can do some tourism while we're here." Carol said, dusting off her coat. "We can see its college. I've never finished college. Or started it, for that matter."

"Shame. You would've been a great Gamma Iota." Marh Vel smiled, but there was still an underlying sadness in his eye as he looked down on the scene.

"What?"

"Animal House. College experience is just not the same without a Toga party."

Carol rolled her eyes, deciding to play along. "Perhaps you could introduce them to your people once you get back to your planet. You know, after they stop invading us."

Marh Vel suddenly looked away, with a sad, empty look in his eyes. They weren't glowing anymore but sported a very human shade of green.

"Phil? Or do you prefer Marv?"

The soldier turned off the hologram. "I don't have a planet anymore." He whispered.

Carol felt something heavy on her heart. She tried to place a comforting hand over his shoulder, but the soldier moved away as if he didn't see Carol. "I'm so sorry. How did it happen?"

"The scourge." Marh Vel spat. "The devourer of worlds, Gah Lak Thus. It killed my world. Hala is no more than a name. A faded memory. Everyone else, the generation after mine, was born on a generational ship. Our planet is nothing more than a story parental units tell their children."

"Oh, Marv…" Carol tried to do something to comfort him, but the soldier sharply turned away, continuing his rant.

"This is why I have to stop them." He clenched his fist, looking at the ground. "I have to stop my people. I don't want you to suffer the same fate. It's not right. It's not fair." Marh Vel gritted his teeth, punching a wall next to him. By that time, Carol's eyes were used to the dark and saw he left the shape of his fist on the concrete. "I know they wouldn't understand, unless by force. This is all they can understand. This is all we have left." Marh Vel closed his eyes, and his armor disappeared in a flash of light, his skin once again human. He grimaced as if he was in pain, and held his side "Let's go find a car…"

"What? Don't you have some space juice in there?" Carol blinked. "God, does that sound wrong."

"I'll explain you on the way to New York." He grunted in pain. "Just let me tell you that our Nega Armors take a huge toll on us. From the looks of it, there's been another Killform on the loose."

Carol looked up to see the facility's ceiling ripped in half with clear signs of tentacle scratches around the hole. Small debris and dust were still trickling on the ground, and the walls were filled with bullet holes, with shells scattered all over the ground.

"We've got to go there. Fast." Carol snapped.

Carol helped Marh Vel on its way. The man stumbled around, still holding his belly as Carol wandered trying to find the exit. The two had reached a wall, and the seemed to be stuck. Fortunately, she recalled her S.H.I.E.L.D. briefing and remembered that the various facilities were built according to the same schematics. She stuck her hand in the wall, which quickly went through it. She fiddled around with the illusion for a while until she found a switch in which to input a code. Something clicked, and the two could see the light of day again.

Marh Vel and Carol got out from what seemed like an ordinary apartment building. S.H.I.E.L.D. was always crafty with their disguises. Carol looked around to see that the streets were deserted, with clear signs of devastation on the way. A few corpses were littered around the street, and the road was marred with craters. It never got any easier. She saw an entire line of abandoned cars down the road and marched there, smashing a window without hesitating. Carol opened the door and got on working on the wiring while she waited for Marh Vel to sit next to her.

"So...Scourge of worlds, right?"

"Devourer."

"Same thing."

"Pray it never happens to your world. Most of us weren't even born when it happened one hundred cycles ago. I hope no one ever has the need to face it again."

"Wait...You're a hundred?"

"I've been a hundred years for many years." Marh Vel leaned back on his seat, hands behind his head while resting one leg over his tight.

"You did not quote that." Carol playfully shoved his foot away.

"Try to stop me."

Carol finally managed to start up the car. By its roar, it seemed like an old model, but Carol couldn't care less about the environment right then. She would've bought a Prius after stopping the invasion.

"Seatbelts." Carol commanded. Marh Vel complied without a word. Carol smashed the gas pedal, and they were off. She tried not to think of the trail of destruction literally guiding the two on the highway to New York. Whenever she looked there was a wrecked car, bent lamp posts and no traces of people.

"You know what? Let's hear something on the radio." Carol started messing around with the knobs to find a working station.

"As long as it's not Adele. I've got enough reasons to be depressed."

 _Giant monsters are rampaging through the United States...Alien invasion...The Death Count is still unknown...No answer from the Government...The Fantastic Four are…_

The broadcast was cut off by an explosion and then suddenly replaced by static. Carol turned off the radio. "So, uh, let's talk about stuff, instead." She tried to cut the tension off with a nervous laugh. "You do like...Stuff, right?"

"I like stuff." Marh Vel was still gloom.

"I can't help but notice you're not as perky as before. Did that Killform hurt you?"

"Just an old war wound." Marh Vel lifted his shirt. His skin was marred with a myriad of tiny metallic dots all over his side. When Carol moved a hand towards the wound to examine it, she realized they twitched.

"Oh…"

"The curse of Gah Lak Thus. Imagine a swarm so vast it darkens the skies. It speaks with the voice of a hundred slain civilizations, and when it descends on you, you can't do nothing but scream. The golden spires of Hala crumbled under its weight. The chosen warriors by the Supreme Intelligence felled one by one by the unending darkness. I still dream about those drones, devouring the flesh off my comrades, soldiers with silvery skin tearing through our ranks...Not every life vessel made it…" Marh Vel gritted his teeth again, steeling himself for the burning pain in his chest. "Those of us that tried to fend off the last wave while the monster melted our planet were affected with a nano-plague. It burrows into our flesh, and it kills us slowly, morsel by morsel. Each and every one of us are dead men walking. We have pledged ourselves in our final days to protect what's left of our people and to give them a future again. Even if that means invading you."

"What makes you so different from them, then? You know, apart from sparing me until now."

"I told you, Carol: I like your planet." He readjusted his shirt. Carol noticed it was stained with a little blood. "I like your tv, your caramel macchiatos, your manga. If we start suffocating nascent civilizations in their crib, we are no different from Gah Lak Thus. You don't have to pay just for having reached the stars. Yanh Ragg thinks otherwise."

"Yeah, you didn't seem to like that guy. I've learned more alien cuss words from you today than in an entire lifetime."

"We go way back. The only reason we haven't killed each other is that we are in a time of crisis. He's always been a technological genius, though. He latched onto Project P.E.G.A.S.U. network. Easy peasy apple squeezy"

"Lemon."

"No thanks. Too sour."

Carol smiled, her eyes still on the road. She started looking at that weird alien with different eyes."Makes you wonder how a guy like you got an outpost on Earth as a spy. You don't seem the spy type. I've met spy types. _I'm_ a spy type."

"After my victories against the Mad ruler of the Acheron system, the Goddess Avoe of the Dire Wraiths and The Living Abyss I was rewarded by being nominated as the vanguard of the invasion."

"It doesn't sound creepy at all."

"And Carol…" The man suddenly got all serious again, ignoring the pain in his side. There was a whole new, different light in his eyes. The one of a hardened soldier, with steel flowing through his veins. "I've done things I'm not proud of, all to defend my planet."

Carol tightened her grip around the wheel. She saw a row of cars passing at high speed in the opposite lane. They looked like they were fleeing as they were in disarray: One woman looked like she was putting some lipstick and something happened to make her draw a line over her face. One car had what looked like a half snapped clamp on its wheel. "Same. What is their goal, though? Surely, it can't be just mindless destruction."

"Once we've reached New York, everything will be clear."

"Why there, though?"

"Think, Carol: What else is there? Where do you think everything started? Who built the first road to the stars? Who are we monitoring since the start?"

Carol's eyes widened. "The Baxter Building..."

"Bingo. If there's a place on this planet we're going to find them, it's here. We ought to call Reed Richards and his team. Interesting fellows. I'm sure we could get some help."

"Let me call you Colonel Fury…" Carol grabbed her phone while still trying to keep her eyes on the road while sending an audio message. "Colonel Fury, this is Carol Danvers. We have survived, and we're trying to get to New York. This is a code Red; I repeat, Code Re-"

Carol stopped talking, and her phone slipped out of her unmoving hands.

"Carol?"

The woman's eyes turned red. Her body looked like it was frozen in place, but her lips started moving, speaking with an unknown voice.

 _ **Marh Vel Halason. Carol Danvers of Terra. You have been chosen.**_

Marh Vel rushed to her side and grabbed the wheel, quickly steering before their car collided with another. "Carol! Snap out of it!"

 _ **We are the Watchers of the Universe. This planet is tied to the fate of the entire Universe. Follow the visions. Stop the Invasion. Be the light in the Universe. The two have to become one. Follow the visions, Carol.**_

Carol snapped out of that trance and pushed on the brakes as hard as she could out of panic. The car slid off out of the road after snapping a guard rail in half, causing the airbags to eject. Carol ripped away the mound of plastic and grabbed the wheel as hard as she could, her breath coming off in fast, pained staccatos. She felt a feeling of abject terror crawling up her spine, and she touched her face as if to reassure she was still herself in there.

"Carol?" Marh Vel tried to force the plastic cushion in his face. "Carol, are you ok?"

"What was that?!" Carol screamed, the words of the entity still echoing in her mind. "What was that, Marv?!"

"Trouble."

* * *

The moment Reed Richards shook Nick Fury's hand, the entire Baxter Building trembled by the very roots. A loud, deafening boom was heard, followed by a series of smaller ones. Coulson immediately checked on his communicator while Jessica looked out of the window.

"If that's not a bad omen, I don't know what that is." Fury said.

"What is it? An attack? Terrorists?" Reed immediately stretched his neck towards a promptly appeared mega screen in the room.

"That can't be. We would've known."

"Not creepy at all." Johnny turned to his fire form and floated next to Jessica Drew. His face went metaphorically pale as he looked at a literal trial of destruction ravaging through New York. Horrifying metal monster where landing in every street, tearing through buildings and smashing everything they came across. "Oh, God…"

"Uh, Boss?" Coulson walked over to Fury and whispered something in his ear. The Colonel muttered a cuss word between his teeth.

"If you have anything to tell us, Colonel, we're listening." Susan snapped.

"Doctor Storm, I'd have to hold a _press conference_ to tell you what you need to know."

"These readings are out of control! The energy signatures don't belong to anything I've seen in this world!" Reed frantically pushed the buttons on his postation, turning on screen after screen to better monitor the situation. No matter where he was looking at, the creatures were rampaging across the city. "This is fascinating-"

Susan and Ben stared at him, both appealed.

"-And a definite problem. I'd dare say they are creatures from another world!"

"Oh, great, now we're fightin' aliens." Ben sneered. "Damn about time!"

A pair of bright purple eyes appeared in the sky, surrounded by a dark hue. A voice started to speak, calm yet firm, echoing through the sky. There was a definite aura of menace transpiring from her words, encompassing the entire city.

It was the first time the human race heard the voice of a being coming from another world, and her words were not kind.

"People of Earth, I am Hala, the Accuser, vanguard of the mighty Kree empire." She had the faintest hint of an Italian or Spanish accent. "For many cycles, our people have languished in the furthest reaches of space, deprived of our birthright. Deprived of our glory. Now, you have finally taken your first step to the stars. I speak for all the Kree when I say you have my respect. You will be the stepping stones to help the Kree retrieve their former glory. Your sacrifice will be the year zero of a new age. In the name of the Supreme Intelligence, I thank you for your sacrifice."

With that, an immense vessel, its surface so black it seemed to swallow the very sunlight, appeared above New York in all its mighty, its wing stretching over the horizon.

"That's bad, right?"

"The worst thing about this is she's monologuing about it." Fury said.

"Yeah, it's a lost art, threatening an entire civilization." Coulson said, trying to look nonchalant. He started wiping his sunglasses, but he slipped, popping one lens off. "They don't do that anymore."

"We have to stop them." Susan declared, the air around her crackling with invisible energy. "But how?"

"We go there. We kick her ass. We get back home for a pint or two." Ben glanced at Johnny. "Well, you wait a couple more years."

"What did they mean with the first steps towards?" Reed pondered while stroking his chin. "Is she talking about the portal? The Bridge?" A frightful realization reflected into his eyes. Especially when he realized that the alien machines were swarming towards their headquarters: Each of the cameras showed a monster shambling their way towards the 42nd Street and Madison Avenue.

"We'll think about the aliens." Susan said. "We have to stop them before they destroy the city."

"They're not just in New York…" Reed made a dozen more screens appear, showing that the Kree were rampaging all over the world: Washington, Johannesburg, Moscow, Beijing...All of them were shown being ravaged by the Kree footsoldiers. The Earth's strongest militaries felled one after another, their monuments destroyed, the entire planet now being a warzone. Every newscast showed that Hala the Accuser's words were not falling empty.

"No…" Fury pulled out his phone, noticing that one of the messages was from Danvers. "I believe we are involved." He spoke calmly, almost with a veneer of eerie professionalism.

"What do you mean by that, Fury?"

"You're not the only one looking to find out about other worlds, Richards. Those bastards latched onto our network. We've lost contact with the Wyoming facility."

"A teleportation network?" Reed got back into pondering that answer. "Yes, that would explain how did they get here so fast all over the world." Mister Fantastic got out of his scientific stupor almost immediately. He took his glasses off and started glaring at the General. "I suppose that tampering with that, too, was a matter of national security."

"We'll play the blame game later, Richards. We've got to find Danvers now."

"A teleportation network...Maybe I could whip out something to disrupt it...We could use that right in their spaceship to collapse it from the inside, or at least send it away...Cut off their command center." Reed walked into his lab to gather everything he needed as he composed in his head the schematics for the device. Fury retired to a quiet angle to listen to the message. What he heard made his one eye widen with fear, but he quickly regained his cool, ready to rejoin his agents and temporary allies.

"How is she?" said Jessica while loading her gun. "If she's dead, I'm going to bring her back to life and kill her myself, I swear."

"Still alive. At least we hope. She said she would have rejoined us back in New York."

Susan stopped at the laboratory's doorstep."Are you sure you don't need assistance for that, General?"

"This is not my first rodeo, Doctor Storm. We'll handle this. You think about the alien warlord."

"Yeah, usually in movies 'we'll handle this' precedes disaster." Coulson had already quietly put up a pair of new sunglasses.

"Well, this ain't a movie."

"You're right. It feels more like a comic book or a pulp novel."

"No offense, agent, but you sound older than Ben." Johnny said, promptly pointing at the Thing. Ben simply grabbed Johnny by the shoulder and dragged him back in the lab to listen to Reed's briefing. Soon, the whole Baxter team was there. Fury overheard Doctor Moy talking about 'the big guy' being ready. The Foster-Blakes were also there, and as much as he tried to look the part of the professional, Don Blake couldn't hide the lipstick marks on his neck and shirt.

"Jessica? Can you come here for a second?"

Agent Drew followed Fury while the Fantastic Four and Coulson were preparing for the coming battle. "What is it, sir?" She said while throwing a glance behind her to be certain no one was eavesdropping.

"After all of this is over, we'd have to dust off the Initiative."

" _Finally."_ Jessica crowed, a smirk on her face. "Is it too early to call dibs for a spot?"

"I think this is the right moment. The Watchers have called again."

* * *

If there was a time to unleash Giganto again, that was the perfect one.

The awesome creature was rampaging one more time through the Streets of New York, only this time he was working to defend it. Freed from the underground below the Baxter Building the creature was quickly assaulted by a swarm of Killforms. Giganto roared, and with one quick swipe of his arm, he slammed the creatures on the ground. As one of the creatures tried to push itself back up with a quick strike of its tentacles, Giganto came down on him and squashed him like a bug, roaring again as he reduced it to paste.

"Yes, Giganto! Good!" Elder was positively giddy as he waved his controlling rod around. He was sending a fine ultrasound to push Giganto towards his enemies while standing on a small building, a few blocks away from the Baxter Building. "Show them what you've got, boy!"

Giganto was a dim, boisterous creature, but even he could realize how dangerous the Invasion was. He was a simple creature with clear allegiances: Doctor Elder had always been kind to him, so he would've offered him his strength. Doctor Elder was smaller and weaker than him, though, so he had to protect his liege. For some reason, Doctor Elder was now friends with the little rock monster that punched him in the face and, despite his dislike towards him, if Doctor Elder had to fight at his side, Giganto would've done so.

Giganto had never seen before those creatures, but if they threatened the world in which Doctor Elder lived, he would've killed them, no questions asked.

One of the monsters had climbed over his arm, its appendages trying to drill through his green skin. Giganto tried to shook it off, but this time the tentacles grew sharper, drawing blood from Giganto's skin. He had never seen his own blood before, but that stinging pain in his shoulder was enough to get him angry. He grabbed the creature with one hand and tore him away by force, throwing the monster with all his strength through an abandoned building. Giganto started sobbing at the evergrowing pain.

"Easy there, boy! Easy! Look out" Before he could react Giganto was swarmed by half a dozen of those creatures. The creatures opened their mouths to unleash a barrage of laser beams. For every one of them Giganto fended off, some more climbed on him, literally filling him with holes. Each bright red beam was tearing him apart slowly, cutting his insides, boiling his blood. His roars were now switching from determined to frightened to just pitiful cries for help. Giganto jabbed his claws on the side of the building to keep himself from falling on the ground, his insides being cooked from the inside by the relentless weapons.

"Giganto! No!" Elder tightened his grip around his cane hard enough to draw blood from his palm. He gritted his teeth, fighting the urge to go there and fight the monsters himself. Giganto looked at him with his aqueous yellow eyes, and as simple as he saw, there was a grim realization reflected in them. "I'm...I'm not leaving you here…" He said softly, extending his rough hand toward him. A stream of tears was running from beneath his protective glasses. Another monster twitched towards him, and Elder was ready to go down swinging, but before the creature's tentacles could impale him, Giganto moved swiftly and grabbed Elder with his massive hand. No matter how much he protested, how much he pounded on the giant monster's chest with his bare hands, Giganto kept him close to his chest, shielding him from the alien monster's assault. "No, no, no, no! Giganto! Don't do this! You will die!"

Giganto kept moaning in pain, holding Elder as close as he could, until the noise stopped. Elder heard the sound of the monster skittering away towards the Baxter Building, and Giganto's hand slowly opened. The scientist realized he was now covered in the black blood of his subject.

He gritted his teeth and pushed to free himself from Giganto's grasp, but he was showing no opposition. It was as if he had no life left in his mighty fingers. Elder couldn't hear his titanic heartbeat anymore.

Elder looked at Giganto's eyes, but they had no light left in them. The creatures were now free to reach the Baxter Building. A cadre of soldiers clad in white armor was following them to the headquarters, their shadows filling the streets below, uncaring of the Mole Man silently weeping.

* * *

"Reed? Reed, have you made contact with the enemy?" Alyssa was moments away from tearing the screen out to get some answer. Both the cameras and the communicator were giving just static. She saw on the few working screens the monsters climbing on the Baxter Building's surface. The H.E.R.B.I.E. units were deployed, but the Kree foot soldiers came swooping in, turning the robot army into scraps.

Alyssa muttered a curse. At least they weren't destroyed by a kid spinning a web this time.

"Reed? I need you to tell me when to open the portal! I can't leave you th-"

An explosion tore down the communication center, knocking Alyssa unconscious as the flying soldiers came in, guns blazing. Alyssa raised her arm, weakly trying to do something to stop them, but the darkness claimed her soon afterward.

The medical lab was torn down with an explosion, alien soldiers swarming inside.

Don and Jane were fleeing for their lives, Don dragging his wife by her wrist as they ran in the nearest hallway. The whole Baxter was shaking from its roots, and the roar of the mechanical beings filled the air.

"You got a clue where we're going?"

"Wherever we're _not_ getting shot or crushed!" Don yelled.

"So...Not Tijuana, I guess." Jane couldn't stop laughing at that. She deduced she must've finally lost her mind.

"You made a joke? Is it that ba-"

Another explosion tore down the windows, knocking down the Blake-Fosters. Don was the first to get up, coughing dust and blood. "J-Jane?" He wiped some dirt from his burning eyes and crawled among the rubble. The ringing in his ear was getting stronger by the second, but he couldn't help but notice the mechanical roar getting closer.

"Here…" Jane said weakly. Don finally regained his sight and saw Jane on the ground. A sharp piece of glass had gone through her leg, and she was losing a lot of blood. She gritted her teeth, trying to soldier on through the pain. The piece of glass was quite large, and both ends were sticking out of her leg. Jane was in pain just by breathing too hard.

"Oh, God, no. No,no,no,no,no…" Don tore his lab coat and tried to create a preemptive tourniquet. He wrapped the rag around the wound, holding his breath all the while to keep himself steady. One wrong movement would've shattered the glass, causing a disaster. "We'd...We have to stay here, Jane."

"Wha-Why?" She gasped, tried to distract herself from the burning pain in her thigh.

"Listen, you can't walk with that leg. You can't move. We have to stay there and…" Jane tried to move, but Don gently grabbed her hand with both his own, urging her not to do anything. He wiped one tear from her face. "Hope that the others make it."

"It...hurts…" Jane looked down and saw that the tourniquet had already turned completely red. The wound was pulsating, and the pain was so high she couldn't even manage to faint. Deep down, she knew she was moments from bleeding out.

"I know, baby, I know, but we can't operate here." He let out a desperate, histerical chuckle. "First of all, it's filthy…"

"Don…"

"I know, I know, it's a defense mechanism-"

"Look out!" She mustered all her strength to scream just as the alien soldiers burst inside. It was the first time Jane ever saw them up close. They looked human, at first glance: Two arms, two legs, one head. They had blue skin and were clad in a bright, carapace shaped white armor. They barked something in an unknown, harsh language and were wielding strange weapons in their hands. She didn't need a degree in alien sciences to know that they were telling them to surrender...Or to say their prayers.

She wanted to close her eyes and at least tell Don that she loved him, but Jane felt so weak...It was the worst moment possible to sleep, but something boomed in her ears when all seemed lost.

One of the soldiers was knocked on the ground by what looked like a sonic boom. The one next to him barked some more, and the barrel of his gun was lighting up, ready to shoot. Something broke his wrist, and he screamed, before being knocked on the ground as well.

Jane opened her eyes and saw Don wielding Reed Richard's sonic gun. He roared and rushed in front of Jane to protect her before unleashing another shot. The alien soldier crashed through a nearby wall and stopped moving.

"Well…" Don was panting, his hand still squeezing the gun's handle. He was shaking from head to toe but looked somehow proud of what he did. He was holding his chest as if he was in pain. If it weren't for her leg, she would've rushed to hug him immediately. "I guess Doctor Richards won't mind. I borrowed th-"

Before he could finish the phrase, a blade wielded by an unseen alien soldier, pierced through his chest. Don coughed a thick spurt of blood and fell downwards on the floor.

Jane wasn't sure of what happened after that.

She caught a glimpse of Don's gun on the floor, still stained with his blood. She was still feeling both hands around the weapon's grip. That primordial scream she let out the moment she fired was still ringing in her ears, and she knew that the sight of that alien being blasted out of the window, falling to his death, would've accompanied her every moment.

Her whole body was on the verge of breaking in half, both for the pain in her leg and her ribcage feeling the recoil of the weapon, but she managed to drag herself to hold Don. She turned him towards the ceiling and kept him close to her chest.

"Don? Come on, Don...Don't do this to me...I know it's a joke." She caressed his face but got no response. His lips were cold and his blue eyes glassy and unmoving. "It's one of your stupid jokes, right? Right?" She shook him, trying to elicit any reaction out of him. Her tears stained his chest, mixed with her husband's blood. "Please, wake up...Don...Donnie...Don't leave me…"

After that, Jane realized her husband was dead and finally allowed herself to weep, still laying in those rubbles.

* * *

Ben Grimm for a long time didn't have a purpose. Especially when he left the Air Force. He had his reasons and, with time, he came to accept them as good ones. For a long time, though, he felt lost. The moment he got trapped inside that solid shell he thought it was over for him. He would never fly anything else, feel the warmth of the sun over his brow, have the thrill of speed rush through his veins...Two out of three weren't bad.

The Fantastica, guided by Ben's capable hands, speeded towards the alien spacecraft. It was a bigger, sleeker version of their old Fantasticar, with bulkier armor. It had four cabins placed in a Roman cross-shaped formation, each of them inhabited by one of the Four. The air was still crackling with purple energy while the monsters still descended over New York. Ben deftly moved among the purple lightning bolts while looking for any weak spot on the alien spacecraft. It seemed almost like made of solid black metal, with no openings whatsoever. No windows or even exhaust ports. If he would've been impressed by its quality if it didn't have aliens needing punching inside. "Is everything alright, guys?"

"Yeah, but why did I have to be on the tail?" Johnny said through the communicator.

"Yer lucky you're on the ship, matchstick."

A beam of purple energy nearly grazed the head of the ship. A Killform appeared right over the Fantastica.

"Any time now, Susie."

"On it." Susan grabbed with both hands the wheel at her postation and focused. Energy ran through the Fantastica's circuit, and the vehicle was instantly protected by a bigger version of Susan's forcefield. The monster tried in vain to break through it with sharp strikes of its tentacles, but Ben rotated the Fantastica on its axis, flinging the beast away from them.

"That was great, sis!"

"Susan, your control over your powers is growing every day." Reed chimed in. Ben could actually hear his proud smile over the communication network.

"Hope it will be enough."

"Yeah, you guys can flirt later. I'm going in!" Ben roared as he pushed the engines to their limit heading right for the Kree's starship bow. "Matchstick!"

"On it!" Johnny got out of the Fantastica and left his usual trial of fire in the air. He pushed onwards with his arms extended in front of him and unleashed a stream of fire. The Human Torch screamed his heart out as unleashed his full power. Before he knew it, the ship's glass had a hole melted in the center of it. Johnny looked at his handiwork, satisfied with having done a good job, as always, and dived inside the ship. Ben took just one moment to mutter a quick "Show off" before diving inside the alien ship.

The Fantastica landed right into what looked like a throne room in the bridge of the Kree flagship. Two huge columns of black stone framed a glowing throne at the center of it, but there was no occupant. The interior of the ship was vast, filled with an eerie yellow glow. The vehicles raised an inferno of sparks as it slid at the center of the room. Ben pulled the cloche with both hands towards him, and the Fantastica stopped, its bow aimed right at the throne.

"Alright, team, this is it. Stick to the plan." Reed took out his glasses and took a deep breath before pushing the cockpit's opening command. "Good luck."

With that, the four were swarmed by a wave of alien warriors emerging from the golden luminesce. They were wearing grey body armors with a spartan like helmet over their head. They wielded wrist-mounted laser rifles, which they unloaded the moment the Four's cockpits opened. Their beams bounced away on a force field aptly created by Susan. Ben was the first to step out of the ship and clapped his hands together, causing a shockwave that knocked out the first row of riflemen. They immediately retired and let another row take their places with hardly a pause between their shots while the other regrouped. Susan noticed that they were marching slowly, but steadily towards them, barking orders in an unknown language.

"Johnny!" She called, and her brother swooped in, summoning a wall of fire that cut off the aliens from behind while she expanded her own force field to squash the soldiers in front of them against the wall. "You better stay down!" She barked

"Enough." A spark of green energy descended over the Four. Sue parried it with a well-placed force field, but the sheer force of the impact shook her to the core. An alien woman descended on the scene, accompanied by two other women and a man. She was wearing a green fitting body armor shaped like a garment hanging from her ankles. The alien commander had a pair of severe looking purple, and three black vertical lines etched onto her chin. The same eyes that stared right at New York's soul. She held a halberd in her hand, that too, crackling with pure energy manifested into tiny black dots around its blade.

The other man was clad in a white version of his commander's armor but with a full mask sporting a pair of pitch black eyes. The center of his chest plate sported what looked like a black hole, pulsating with energy. The man was flashing a cruel smile, showing his filed teeth. "Accuser…" He growled. "Leave them to me. You don't have to soil yourself with the blood of this...Primitives." The man sneered.

"Quiet, Rgg." The woman pointed her weapon towards Reed. "I am Hala The Accuser. Commander of the glorious Kree Empire. Who would dare to challenge us?!"

Reed came out of the ship, stretching over his torso to reach as much as he could Hala's eye level. "I am Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four." He spoke calmly, his words immediately followed by the clicking of a hundred rifles.

"Are you the protector of this planet?"

Reed thought about his words for one second before looking at the alien in her eyes. "I suppose you could say that, yes."

"Little more pride in that, Reed." Johnny said, being one second away to start blasting off again. Sue's force field was still around them, humming with energy.

"Oh, that is fascinating…" One of the other two women leered towards Reed. She was wearing a silver-colored armor and had long, flowing black hair. Her helmet was more like a black mask covering her eyes. "After this squabble, I'm looking forward to dissecting him…"

"Restrain yourself, Minn Ervha." The other woman urged, raising an arm to signal her companion to calm down. She was wearing a helmet with a stylized star over her forehead, her white hair flowing from under it. "This is not what we came for."

"For now…"

"I admire your courage for standing here of all places." Hala continued. "If you stop with this foolishness you will be spared."

"Why are you doing this, Hala? Why our planet? What do you gain from this?"

"The Bridge. Your people have developed the bridge to the stars and one to the infinite worlds. This is what we need." Hala closed her eyes and took a deep breath. There was a deep sorrow etched in the severe. "Our planet was stolen from us. Our culture on the brink of devastation. Your bridge will lead us to a new, greener world. Worlds where the Kree may regain their might."

"You speak of a bridge. What are you talking about?"

"The bridge to the Antimatter Verse." Hala spoke calmly, but the air around her sparkled with energy. She levitated behind her smaller versions of her halberd. Their blades were tingling, thirsty for blood. "I don't know why your people would have the desire to reach that Pama forsaken hole, but its technology is what we'd need to open the Multiverse. Ripe for the taking. It was like a blazing bonfire across the stars. It has been centuries, since the fall of Xandar, that someone opened a portal for that place. It is a monument to your ingenuity that your planet has stood to this moment." Hala raised her weapon, its blade glowing purple. "And you _reek_ of that same energy signature."

"The bridge to the N-Zone…" A terrible realization finally dawned on Reed. His stare grew vacant, completely unaware of being surrounded by alien soldiers. "It was that, then?"

"You seem...Distracted, earthling. Why is that?" For a second, the alien warlord looked somewhat, if not caring, sympathetic. There was no hate or scorn in her voice. Compared to her prideful or gloating companions, she a paragon of calm.

Minn Ervha raised her glowing hand towards Reed. The symbols at the center of her armor were rapidly changing. "I feel...Guilt. Guilt and fear and sorrow. He's mourning his world and his people." The Kree flashed a terrifying smile. "It's so sweet…"

"Speak, Earthling!" Hala raised her voice, levitating towards the Four. Ben was moments to just leap on Hala and punch her face in until she cried "Uncle." "What is the reason for this?"

"I have created the bridge. I have created it!" He finally said. Reed didn't know if he wanted to laugh or cry. That realization, that sense of significance the cosmos was rewarding or punishing him with was too much for him at that moment. A grim determination coursed through his veins as he stared at the impatient alien warlord. "This means I have to stop you!"

Hala collected herself again. "Kill the woman and the elemental first." Rgg, Minn Ervha, and Ko Rel rushed to fight the Fantastic Four. "Spare the scientist."

Sue didn't let her force field falter but conjured from it a large branch to strike at Minn Ervha. The Kree soldier maneuvered around it and peppered Susan's barrier with energy beams. Her protection didn't falter, so the alien lunged forward, wreathing her hands in green flames. "Surrender, human! I promise you will be treated fairly if you!"

"Why am I not convinced?"

"You will be allowed to keep clothes and receive your nutrients through the mouths. Perhaps even space to move in your cage?" She tilted her head, still wearing that awful grin. "How about that?"

"I'm going to do what everyone in the universe should've done!" Susan conjured a giant fist and smashed Minn Ervha's face in. The alien was sent flying, but before she hit the ground, Susan conjured another invisible barrier, squashing her on the ground. Ervha tried to get back on her feet, but Susan smacked her around again and again. The alien attempted to aim some shots at Susan, but The Invisible Woman was done playing around. She conjured a bubble around her opponent's hand, and when she tried to blast at her, her hand exploded, leaving a burned stump where her hand once was.

Minn Ervha let out a feral scream that quickly turned into an exasperated laugh. "This power, earthling! Oh, can you imagine what we could do with this? You could've uplifted your entire world!"

"Uplift this." Susan clicked her fingers and stroke Minn Ervha with an invisible battering ram aimed right at her chin.

Ben was concerned about the clobbering and the time most apt for said clobbering.

Yahn Rgg's face was the perfect test subject for that. The alien roared at him and with surprising speed landed a jab over Ben's face. Despite his average size, Ben felt that hit. He retaliated with a backhanded strike, but Rgg parried the strike, grabbing Ben's wrist. "Oh, you're one of those…"

"What are you babbling about, creature?"

"I know the drill. Ya look small and scrawny, but you can and will throw me around, making me look like a fool. "

"Glad that you've accepted your fate."

"So I'm ending this early."

Ben headbutted him, but the alien was unfazed by that. Ben sighed and tried to strike at his face, but Rgg created a sphere of black energy around his fist, cushioning Ben's blow. "Welp, knew it wasn't going ta be easy."

"I'll show you your place." Rgg lifted Ben by the neck, but The Thing anticipated that and hit the alien's chin with an elbow strike. While he was distracted by the pain, he hit him once more with a pair of attacks to his temple and nose.

"Yer so hoity-toity! I'll show ya my place! Ya wouldn't last a second at Yancy Street!"

"Everything you love will be-" Ben didn't let him finish, but just knocked him out flat with one. Rgg tried to fly away, but Ben grabbed him by the ankle and slammed him back on the ground.

"You know, I didn't seem to catch our name?" Johnny Storm perfectly knew that the alien soldier in front of him was willing and able to kill him if he lowered his guard.

She was _still_ attractive.

"I am Ko'Rel Haladottir, and you're a fool for throwing away the Accuser's mercy back at her." Ko'Rel lunged at Johnny, dragging him away by his neck out of the spaceship. She seemed unfazed by the coat of flames around his body.

"Johnny!" Susan screamed, trying to catch them both with an invisible hand.

"Yeah, don't worry! I'll be-" But she couldn't hear him anymore. The two were already too far.

"You should think more about yourself!" Minn Ervha was back on her feet and shot a deadly gas from out her wrist. Sue quickly encased herself in a protective bubble and noticed with some horror that that gas was now melting the ground below her.

"Get off my planet!" He pointed his fist at her, unleashing a flash of light right in her eyes. The alien screamed and let him go, throwing him down. Johnny regained his balance before being slammed on a nearby skyscraper and rushed again towards his opponent. He noticed that Ko'Rel's helmet had grown a metal plate over her eyes, protecting her from the blast. "Well, that's cheating."

"This is a war, earthling." Ko'Rel clenched her fist and Johnny was enveloped in a golden yellow forcefield. "This is all I've been taught! All that I am!" With a mere thought, she pulled Johnny towards her, making drop his guard for the surprise. Ko'Rel winded up a punch aimed right at his face, but Johnny went nova, blasting off the alien.

"All is fair and yadda yadda, I know the drill. I am already tired of your spiel."

"It would be so much easier if you just surrendered." Ko'Rel raised one hand, charging one shot, but hesitating to unleash it. Johnny noticed that she had him dead to rights. "I don't want to hurt you."

"Well, tell that to all the people you've just killed with your killer bots."

"Wouldn't you do the same if it meant giving a future to your people?"

"What about the people that you deny their future, huh?" Johnny motioned down towards the city. Countless buildings were being destroyed, ravaged by the Killforms. Black smoke was rising in the air. "Don't you think _they_ 've got some they love? Aren't you taking _their_ lives?"

"This is…" Ko'Rel clenched her fist to keep it from shaking. "A necessary sacrifice. Tell me…"

"Johnny Storm."

"Johnny Storm of Earth…" Ko'Rel looked at him, turning off the glow of her eyes, showing her natural blue. "What would you do if you had someone you live, trapped in a dying wreck of a world? What would you do to give them a better future?"

"Like my family in there?" The Human Torch snarled.

Ko'Rel let out a grim chuckle and decided that, yes, she had been bested on one field. With that, she opened fire and Johnny did the same. Warrior against warrior, as all thing should've been.

Ko'Rel pierced through Johnny's chest with a deadly laser beam. Johnny struck Ko'rel's belly with a boiling fireball. Johnny looked at his inflamed form and realized he had a glowing hole in his chest before losing consciousness. Ko'Rel thought herself triumphant before realizing her opponent had melted a hole in her armor. She felt one excruciating second of burning pain before allowing herself to faint. Both the Human Torch and Ko'Rel of Hala started plummeting to the ground.

The ship was still quaking. Reed was moments away from contacting the Baxter and providing a portal for the team will the aliens would've been routed away. A temporary solution that could've saved New York and the planet or at least gave them more time. A thousand thoughts roared in Reed's brilliant brain: Humanity's first contact wasn't a peaceful one. Yet, those Kree people were, too, down rotten.

Reed looked at the still unfazed Accuser. "There is so much we could learn from each other."

"I promise that I will give your teammates a noble, swift death if you consign yourself to us."

"Luckily, I love to talk as well."

Reed uncoiled his body to reveal a black sphere hidden in the folds of his elastic body. Reed grasped it firmly, and the device emitted a wave of pure dark energy. The entire starship started shaking uncontrollably. Hala raised her weapon and tried to blast Reed off with a beam of energy, but her aim was off. Her blast had fragmented in several smaller ones, none of them even grazing Mr. Fantastic.

"What have you done?"

"You've latched on a subspace teleportation network. Therefore, I'm altering your vibration frequency to reverse the process. Soon, you're going to be blasted to whenever you came from."

"Lord Accuser!" Rgg yelled from the other side of the throne room. "The Killform's communication network was not designed to stand interstellar distances! The assault will be meaningless!" He extended one arm towards Reed and his wrist armor clicked, unleashing a swarm of tentacles moving towards Reed. The device hummed weakly the instant they got too close to it.

"Well, ain't that precious?" Ben landed a solid jab at Rgg's face, sending the soldier flying and slamming him onto a stone pillar before he could do anything else. He moaned in pain, but before he could mentally gather himself, Ben came at him with another punch at his ribcage, digging an Rgg shaped hole in the rock.

"D'ast!" Hala flew into a rage, raising her weapon to unleash a flurry of lightning bolts over the arena. Sue tried to expand her forcefield, but her opponent was deftly maneuvering through her leader's attack, nearly blowing her head off with an energy blast. The Invisible Woman barely managed to cover Reed before she had to once again fend off the alien minion.

Hala lowered her weapon and simply rushed towards Reed, grabbing his neck. Mister Fantastic tried to wiggle his way out, but Hala placed her halberd near his stomach, unleashing an electrical shock. Reed screamed, but his hands were still firmly grasped around the device.

"Surrender…" Hala hissed. Her halberds were flying closer to Reed's face. The Accuser pushed her blade forward and unleashed another shockwave.

"Never…" Reed gritted his teeth and still didn't let go of the device, even if he could feel the heat of the weapon ready to melt his face. The whole ship was now shaking and moments away from shattering itself. He was gripped by the horrible, unpleasant sensation of having failed his family and that hurt much more than whatever brutality that warlord was planning for him.

"YA STAY AWAY FROM HIM!" Ben came roaring and with a backhanded strike she sent Hala's weapons flying before tackling the Accuser and freeing Reed. The Thing wailed on the alien warlord, but Hala grabbed his fist and used the other hand to slash across his chest. It left a glowing gash that broke his insignia in half, but Ben retaliated with another mighty fist. Hala was launched a few feet in the air, but she did a somersaulted and started floating accompanied by her flying weapons. She sent one after the other to impale Ben, but The Thing disposed of the barrage by clapping his hands, generating a shockwave that threw the blades on the ground.

Ben leaped forward and struck with both hands, forcing Hala to parry with her weapon. The blade unleashed a bolt of lightning, but The Thing managed to contain it in his hand. He slowly drove the blade away from his face and punched Hala right in her face. It made a dull noise, and the Accuser barely budged, but everyone in the room could see the trickle of blood running down her chin.

"Impressive." Hala wiped some blood from her mouth, then telekinetically summoned one blade for each hand, standing there with open arms to wait for Ben.

"Ya haven't seen half of it! Reed! Use that gizmo of yours and-" A flash of light turned the dim light of the throne room into a blazing inferno, tearing out one massive chunk out of Ben's shoulder. He looked in awe at his still glowing hole on his arm and stumbled around. He tried to open his mouth to say something but simply collapsed on the ground. Yahn Rgg was behind, his fist still encased in pure energy and a satisfied grin on his face.

"Now you know your place!" Rgg growled, spitting on the ground next to Ben. Minn Ervha grinned like a maniac at that sight. The woman clicked her fingers and what looked like a scalpel popped out of her wrist armor. She eyed him intensively, wondering how and where to cut first...

"Oh, no, Ben, no…" Reed tried to reach Ben, but Hala came floating between the two. Mister Fantastic glared with a hatred he didn't know he had in his heart. Hala raised her weapon, pointing it at his neck, ready to slice it any moment.

"Surrender, Richards. Give us the bridge. I'll spare whatever remains of your squad."

Reed looked at the device still in his hand. A plan was forming in his mind: If he managed to trap Hala, he could've detonated the device, annihilating them both. He would've cut the serpent's head and rid them of their most dangerous adversary at the moment. He squeezed the machine, ready to stretch his limbs and potentially end the invasion. He looked in Sue's eyes and felt an unspeakable sadness and wondered if he did that would he ever have the chance to hear her voice? To see her smile?

Before he could do anything else, he found himself trapped in a bubble. Reed punched to the invisible wall to no avail. "Sue? What are you doing?!" He screamed, his voice toned down by the forcefield.

"I know too how to operate the bridge," Sue announced, drawing every alien eye in the room.

"What are you doing?!" Reed screamed from inside the bubble. He stretched his torso its maximum, inflating himself to break out of the bubble by his sheer mass, but the force field wasn't budging.

"I've seen Reed operate it. I know how to make it work. Just spare Reed and the rest of the Earth. No more death." Sue raised her hand, lifting Reed's bubble with a mere thought.

"Susie…" ben dragged himself on the ground by the knuckles, his arm still pounding for the pain. "Don't do this…" He groaned, but Minn Ervha put a stop to it by stepping on his wound. The Thing screamed in pain as the alien lieutenant looked at the scene with her usual, sadistic glee.

"Susan, you can't give the bridge to them! You have no idea what they'll do to you after that! I can't…" Reed was screaming and punching at the bubble, trying to break it. He looked down at his torso and realized that his bright blue costume was stained with tears.

Susan turned towards Reed as the three aliens were surrounding her. "I promise…" Hala finally touched the ground, slamming her halberd staff like a judge gavel on the ground. Even the sadistic Minn Ervha backed off at that sound. "Your sacrifice won't be in vain. You have done a great service to your planet." She turned to Rgg. "prepare for the Psyche-Magnitron."

Susan turned towards Reed, still strapped in the bubble. She crossed his gaze one final time, and he saw that Susan, too, was crying. Just three milliliters of invisible energy between them, but that gap felt like a million galaxies. "I love you, Reed."

With that, she sent the bubble flying out of the ship to supposed safety. Reed Richards cried all the way all the things that he wanted to say to her in a lifetime, but she was too far for that now. As Mister Fantastic soared through the air, as he saw the immense warship shrink by the second, he vowed that he would save Susan by any means necessary.

Even if he had to put the Earth at second place...

* * *

Author's Notes: Yeah, things are going to get serious. Here's some trivia to distract you from tragic events that will ripple to the end of the fic.

Minn Ervha is Doctor Minerva, an old Ms. marvel enemy in the classic continuity and I always thought she was creepy.

Yanh Rgg is my version of Yon Rogg with the Ultimate Universe spelling because it sounds cooler. Yeah, I've got no further explanation. I'm a simple person.

Ko'Rel is probably the most obscure character. She was created by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning for their amazing Annihilation Conquest crossover and, even if she was around for a few issues, she made an impression. I've always had a soft spot for minor characters.


End file.
